PRINTED  BY  C.  J.  CLAY.  M.A. 
AT  THE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2014 


https://archive.org/details/architecturalhisOOwill_0 


THE 

ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 

OF 


BY  THE 

REV.  R  WILLIS,  M.A,  F.RS.,  &c. 

JACKSONIAN  PROFESSOR  OP  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CAMBRIDGE. 


READ  AT  THE  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE  ARCHiEOLOGICAL  INSTITUTE 
OF  GREAT  BRITAIN  AND  IRELAND,  AT  DORCHESTER,  AUGUST  4,  1865. 


CAMBRIDGE : 
DEIGHTON,   BELL,  AND  CO. 
LONDON:   BELL  AND  DALDY. 
1866. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  Abbey  of  Glastonbury  is  one  of  those  to  which 
a  peculiar  interest  has  been  always  attached.  The 
boldness  of  its  legendary  history,  which  claims  for  its 
site  the  privileges  of  being  that  on  which  the  first 
Christian  church  was  erected  in  our  island,  and  the 
burial-place  of  King  Arthur  and  Joseph  of  Arimathea : 
also  the  peculiar  architectural  character  and  beauty  of 
the  chapel  which  now  bears  the  name  of  St  Joseph, 
its  singular  plan  and  position ;  and  lastly,  the  picturesque 
remains  of  the  great  church  itself,  little  inferior  to  the 
chapel  in  beauty,  and  of  the  celebrated  kitchen  and 
barn; — these  furnish  sufficient  grounds  for  the  interest 
which  has  been  maintained  up  to  our  own  time,  and 
has  made  this  place  the  theme  of  so  many  writers, 
ancient  and  modern,  that  the  subject  might  appear  to 
have  been  exhausted  in  all  directions. 

Yet  it  must  have  been  perceived  by  the  readers  of 
these  writers,  that  the  interpretation  of  the  documentary 
evidence,  with  reference  to  its  application  to  the  build- 
ings, is  still  enveloped  in  indecision  and  conjecture. 


vi 


INTRODUCTION. 


Yet  few  monasteries  have  left  to  us  a  better  col- 
lection of  historical  documents,  including  the  memoranda 
of  Leland  and  William  of  Worcester,  both  written  before 
the  Reformation,  or  furnish  a  more  instructive  example 
of  the  manner  in  which  such  buildings  were  carried  on 
and  altered.  My  first  acquaintance  with  these  venerable 
ruins  in  1863  convinced  me  that  the  cloud  of  vague 
conjecture  which  still  hung  over  their  architectural  his- 
tory might  be  partly  dispelled  by  a  personal  and  re- 
peated study  of  the  structures  themselves,  combined  with 
a  careful  analysis  of  the  chronicles  and  records,  selecting 
from  them  those  passages  only  which  have  reference  to 
the  arrangement  and  purposes  of  the  buildings,  the 
time  and  mode  of  their  construction,  the  manner  of 
raising  funds  for  that  object,  and  the  motives  which 
caused  them  to  be  undertaken.  This  in  fact  is  the  sys- 
tem that  I  have  pursued  throughout  my  researches  into 
the  Architectural  History  of  so  many  Cathedrals  and 
Monasteries,  and  the  following  pages  contain  the  result 
of  its  application  to  Glastonbury.  Several  visits  to  the 
ruins,  employed  in  sketching  and  measuring;  alternating 
with  the  home  examination  at  leisure,  of  the  docu- 
mentary evidence;  have  emboldened  me  to  assert  with 
confidence  the  identity  of  the  so-called  chapel  of  St 
Joseph  with  the  Lady  chapel  of  the  Abbey  church  and 
with  the  site  of  the  original  wicker  church  or  "Old 
Church,"  the  '^Vetusta  Ecclesia"  of  William  of  Malmes- 
bury,  and  thus  not  only  to  fix  the  date  of  this  most 
valuable  piece  of  transition  work  to  the  year  11 84,  but 
to  identify  a  spot,  which,  without  crediting  the  tradition 


INTRODUCTION. 


vii 


literally  which  assigns  the  date  of  the  "Old  Church"  to 
A.D.  63,  was  certainly  occupied  by  one  of  the  very  ear- 
liest of  the  British  churches. 

I  have  pointed  out  that  the  tradition  of  the  visit 
of  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  hinted  at  by  Malmesbury,  and 
evidently  neither  really  credited  by  him,  nor  held  forth 
as  one  of  the  prominent  attractions  of  the  site  up  to  his 
time  or  that  of  his  continuator  Adam  de  Domerham, 
was  brought  into  excessive  importance  and  made  a  source 
of  profit  and  honour  to  the  Monastery  in  the  fourteenth 
century.  Thus,  finally,  the  popular  name  of  St  Joseph's 
chapel  has  superseded  the  original  dedication  of  the  Lady 
chapel. 

Lastly,  I  have  shewn  that  the  crypt  is  entirely 
a  construction  of  the  fifteenth  century,  inserted  in  a 
building  which  had  no  previous  crypt,  and  have  endea- 
voured to  explain  the  steps  by  which  this  remarkable 
undertaking  was  carried  out.  As  far  as  I  know,  this 
fact  has  escaped  all  previous  writers. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  Documentary  History  from  a.d.  63  to  the  great  fire  in  1184  .      .  1 

II.  Identity  of  St  Joseph's  chapel  with  the  site  of  the  wicker  church 

and  the  Lady  chapel  of  the  Abbey  13 

III.  Documentary  History  of  the  great  church  from  1184  to  the  sup- 

pression of  the  monastery  22 

IV.  Structural  History  and  description  of  the  great  church        .      .  34 

V.  St  Joseph's  chapel  47 

VI.  The  crypt  of  St  Joseph's  chapel  ,      .  60 

VII.  Final  arrangement  of  St  Joseph's  chapel      .      .      .      .     '.  73 

VIII.  History  of  the  Monastic  Buildings        .       .       .       .       .  .82 

Description  of  the  plates  87 


Directions  to  the  Binder. 

Place  plate  1  to  face  the  title  page,  and  the  remainder  of  the  plates  at 
the  end  of  the  volume. 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY  OF 


GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


CHAPTEH  I. 

DOCUMENTARY  HISTORY  FROM  A.D.  63  TO  THE  GREAT 
FIRE  IN  1 1 84. 

The  singular  position  and  proportion  of  St  Josepli's 
Chapel,  projecting  from  the  west  end  of  the  great  church, 
makes  it  the  great  characteristic  feature  which  distinguish- 
es Glastonbury  Abbey.  It  can  only  be  understood  by 
taking  a  cursory  view  of  the  legendary  history  of  the 
monastery,  not  because  implicit  credence  can  be  accorded 
to  these  tales,  but  that  they  were  taught  by  the  monks 
to  the  devotees  who  flocked  to  their  shrines,  and  the 
peculiar  arrangement  of  the  church  was  adjusted  in  ac- 
cordance with  them. 

It  is  true  that  these  legends  have  been  recited  in 
every  essay  upon  this  subject,  in  some  form  or  other, 
and  may  be  found  even  in  the  guide-books,  yet  I  must 
be  permitted  to  state  briefly  those  parts  of  them  only 
which  relate  especially  to  the  history  of  the  structures 
I  am  about  to  consider. 

This  I  shall  do  in  the  form  of  a  continued  narrative, 
which,  might  be  termed  the  Pretensions  of  Glaston- 
bury, written,  with  the  original  book  of  Malmsbury, 
lying  before  me\  and  preserving,  as  far  as  possible,  his 
phraseology  in  the  legendary  portions. 

1  The  early  traditions  were  first    chronicle  which  is  made  up  of  a  scries 
collected  by  William  of  Malmsbnry  in  a    of  extracts  from  documents,  short  nar- 

1 

I 


2 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


Id  the  year  of  our  Lord  63,  St  Phihp,  then 
preaching  the  word  in  France,  sent  twelve  of  his 
disciples  into  Britain  for  the  same  purpose.    Their  chief 
being,  as  it  is  reported,  his  dearest  friend  Joseph  of 
Arimathea. 

The  king  and  his  barbarian  people  rejected  the  mis- 
sion, but  permitted  the  missionaries  to  retire  to  the  pre- 
sent site  of  Glastonbury,  at  that  time  an  island,  called 
Yniswitrin,  on  the  confines  of  his  dominions,  covered 
with  trees  and  brambles,  and  surrounded  by  marshes. 
Afterwards,  two  other  pagan  kings,  hearing  of  their 
holy  life,  granted  to  each  of  them  a  portion  of  land. 

These  saints,  thus  dwelHng  in  the  same  desert,  were 
after  a  short  time  admonished  in  a  vision,  by  the  Arch- 


ratives  and  charters,  concluding  with 
the  succession  in  1129  of  Henry  de 
Blois,  the  fourth  Norman  Abbot,  to 
the  see  of  Winchester.  This  chronicle 
was  continued  by  Adam  de  Domer- 
ham  to  1290,  and  finally,  J.  Glaston 
wrote  a  complete  chronicle  of  the  Ab- 
bey from  the  beginning,  in  which  he 
employs  those  of  the  above  writers, 
and  continues  the  history  to  1493. 
That  this  Malmsbury  is  identical  with 
the  historian  of  the  Kings  and  Bishops 
of  England,  is  shewn  by  a  passage  in 
his  Gesta  Regum  (Savile,  p.  14),  in 
which  he  alludes  to  the  first  chronicle 
by  its  owTi  title,  De  Antiquitafe  Glas- 
toniensis  Ecclesiw,  when  praising  the 
virtues  of  King  Ina,  especially  for 
building  the  monastery  of  Glaston- 
bury, "the  additional  splendour  he 
gave  to  it,  is  shewn  in  the  book  which 
I  have  written  concerning  the  anti- 
quity of  that  monastery"  (cui  quan- 
tum splendoris  adjecerit,  libellus  ille 
docebit,  quern  de  mUiquitate  ejusdem 
Monasterii  elaboravi"). 

From  internal  evidence  afforded 


by  his  writings,  this  historian  is  sup- 
posed to  have  died  in  1142  or  3. 
The  last  event  recorded  in  his  An- 
tiquities of  Glastonbury  is  the  acces- 
sion of  Abbot  Henry  de  Blois  to  the 
bishopric  of  Winchester  in  11 29,  and 
tliis  chronicle  is  preceded  by  an  ad- 
dress to  that  bishop,  in  which  the 
author  commends  the  work  which  he 
has  completed  to  his  indulgent  per- 
usal and  attention.  The  bishop  died 
in  1 1 74,  ten  years  before  the  great 
fire.  Yet  the  chronicle  contains  se- 
veral allusions  to  this  fire,  and  a  de- 
scription of  its  effects,  evidently  by  an 
eyewitness. 

Now,  as  the  complete  chronicle  was 
delivered  to  a  bishop  who  died  long 
before  it  happened,  it  follows  that 
these  allusions  must  have  been  in- 
terpolated by  some  subsequent  wri- 
ter. Indeed,  every  one  of  these  al- 
lusions has  the  air  of  a  marginal  gloss. 
Amongst  them  we  may  well  include 
the  puerile  stories  of  the  hiding  and 
finding  of  Dunstan's  relics,  in  which 
most  of  them  occur. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY.  3 

angel  Gabriel,  to  construct  a  cliurcli  in  honour  of  the  Vir- 
gin Mary,  in  a  certain  place  indicated. 

They,  not  slow  in  obedience  to  the  divine  precepts, 
did  there  construct,  in  accordance  with  that  which  had 
been  shewn  to  them,  a  chapel  {capellam),  whose  walls 
below  were  formed  round  about  with  twisted  or  wattled 
rods,  misshapen  in  form  but  endowed  abundantly  with 
heavenly  virtues.  And  this  chapel,  because  it  was  the 
first  in  that  region,  was  by  divine  command,  dedi- 
cated to  the  Virgin.  The  twelve  dwelt  in  this  spot, 
dying  off  one  after  the  other,  until  the  place  became 
a  solitude  and  a  resort  of  wild  beasts.  The  oratory 
of  the  Virgin  (pratorium  B.  Virg'.)  remained  concealed 
and  unknown  for  many  years \  At  length,  in  the  year 
1 66,  Pope  Eleutherius,  at  the  request  of  Lucius,  king 
of  the  Britons,  sent  two  missionaries  named  Phaeanus 
and  Deruvianus,  who  baptized  the  king  and  his  people 
in  that  year,  and  in  the  course  of  their  subsequent  pro- 
gress through  Britain,  preaching  and  baptizing,  they  ar- 
rived at  the  island  Avallonia  (or  Yniswitrin)  i.e.  Apple 
land,  which  they  entered. 

There  they  discovered  the  church  {ecclesia),  the  work 
of  the  disciples  of  St  Philip,  and  were  miraculously  in- 
formed of  its  divine  dedication  to  the  Virgin  Mary.  One 
hundred  and  three  years  had  elapsed  between  the  advent 
of  the  first  missionaries  and  the  coming  of  the  second. 
These  two  saints  protracted  their  dweUing  in  this  place 
for  nine  years,  and  elected  out  of  tlieir  converts  twelve 
persons,  who  with  the  consent  of  King  Lucius,  took  up 

^  Malmsbury  here  informs  us  that  Augustine's.    The  name  of  this  writer 

he  derived  the  above  narrative  partly  and  his  period  are  not  mentioned,  but 

from  a  charter  of  St  Patrick,  dated  he  may  be  identical  with  Melkin,  who 

after  430,  which  he  gives  verbatim,  flourished  c.  550  (vide  below,  p.  15). 

and  partly  from  the  writings  of  an  The  charter  is  a  series  of  inconsisten- 

r.ncient  British  historian,  whose  works  cies  and  absurd  visions, 
he  had  found  at  St  Edmund's  and  St 

1—2 


4 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


their  residence  in  the  island  in  separate  places  as  ancho- 
rites, and  in  the  same  spots  where  the  primitive  twelve 
had  dwelt.  In  the  old  church  {vetustam  ecclesiam)  they 
frequently  met  for  the  daily  performance  of  divine  ser- 
vice. They  obtained  from  the  king  the  confirmation  of  the 
old  grants  of  twelve  pieces  of  land  for  their  sustenance. 

Their  number  was  now  maintained  by  the  election  of 
others  as  death  removed  these  second  occupants,  and  this 
system  continued  until  the  Irish  apostle  St  Patrick 
visited  this  spot  about  300  years  afterwards.  Certain 
devout  converts  added  to  the  church  thus  discovered 
another  oratory  in  stone  work,  which  they  dedicated  to 
Christ  and  the  holy  apostles  Peter  and  Paul.  And  by 
their  labours  the  vetusta  ecclesia  of  St  Mary  at  Glaston 
was  repaired  and  restored. 

The  island  was  now  becoming  inhabited  by  settlers 
from  the  northern  parts  of  Britain,  and  the  church, 
which  from  its  antiquity  was,  by  the  English  especially, 
denominated  the  Old  Church,  or  Vetusta  Ecclesia,  became 
a  most  attractive  place  of  pilgrimage  for  all  ranks,  and 
was  frequently  visited  by  holy  and  learned  men. 

Thus  Gildas,  the  historian,  ended  his  life  here  in  512, 
and  was  buried  in  the  vetusta  ecclesia  before  the  altar. 
St  Patrick,  returning  from  his  successful  mission  to  Ire- 
land in  433,  visited  Glastonbury,  and  found  the  twelve 
anchorites  living  as  above  in  separate  dwellings.  He 
taught  them  the  regular  coenobial  life,  assuming  the 
office  of  abbot,  and  so  remained  for  39  years,  until  his 
death  in  472,  at  the  age  of  iii.  He  rested  in  the  vetusta 
ecclesia,  at  the  right  (or  south)  side  of  the  altar  for  710 
years,  until  the  church  was  consumed  by  fire\  His  body 
was  placed  in  a  stone  pyramid  close  to  the  altar  on  the 
souths 


^  Which  by  these  dates  must  be  ^  Beside  the  personages  already 
the  fire  of  1 1 84.  mentioned  as  buried  in  the  old  church 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY.  5 

St  David,  the  archbishop  of  Menevia,  who  died  in 
540,  IS  related  to  have  prepared  a  solemn  dedication  for 
tHis  vetusta  ecclesia,  but  was  warned  in  a  dream  that  it 
Had  been  at  the  beginning  dedicated  to  the  Virgin  bv 
the  Lord  himself.  The  archbishop  therefore  built  another 
church  near  the  first,  and  dedicated  that  to  the  Virgin\ 

Thus  far  our  narrative  has  been  wholly  or  partially  of 
a  legendary  character,  but  one  fact  can  be  certainly  derived 
from  it,  namely,  that  there  existed  on  the  spot  which  is  the 
scene  of  the  tale,  a  structure  of  twisted  rods  or  hurdles, 
which  was  believed  to  have  been  built  as  a  Christian 
oratory,  and  reported  to  be  the  earliest  church  erected  in 
Britain.  Also,  that  it  especially  bore  the  name  of  Vctusta 
Ecclesia,  the  ^^Old  Church,"  and  was  dedicated  to  the 
Virgin  Mary.  To  shew  the  veneration  in  which  the  struc- 
ture itself  was  held,  the  chronicler  records,  that  "according 
to  the  traditions  of  the  fathers,  St  PauHnus,  archbishop 
A.D.  625  of  York,  and  subsequently  bishop  of  Eochester, 
to  644.    clothed  the  Old  Church,  which  before  was  made 


on  account  of  their  connexion  with 
the  abbey,  a  long  list  of  the  bodies  of 
other  celebrated  saints  were  laid  claim 
to  in  this  establishment  under  various 
pretences,  many  of  which  existed  in 
duplicate  in  other  monasteries,  but 
were  asserted  to  have  been  removed 
to  Glastonbury  from  the  ruins  of 
monasteries  destroyed  in  754  in  .the 
Danish  excursion.  Thus  they  asserted 
the  possession  of  St  Hilda,  abbess  of 
Whitby,  of  the  venerable  Bede,  St 
Aidan  of  Lindisfarne,  also  of  St  Dun- 
stan  in  1012,  removed  from  the  ruins 
of  Canterbury  after  the  Danish  sack 
in  1 01 1,  of  which  more  presently. 

St  Benignus,  who  visited  Glaston- 
bury in  460,  was  a  disciple  of  St  Patrick 
and  his  third  successor  in  the  Irish 
episcopate.   He  was  translated  to 


Glastonbury  in  901,  or,  as  Malnisbury 
says  in  another  place,  in  the  days  of 
Turstinus,  the  first  Norman  abbot 
He  was  in  109 1  brought  to  the  great 
church  and  placed  before  the  high 
altar  (J.  Glaston,  160). 

^  It  be  observed,  throughout 
these  legends,  that  the  fact  of  the 
dedication  of  the  church  to  the  Virgin, 
in  63,  is  never  said  to  have  been  jier- 
formed  by  the  agency  of  man,  but  to 
have  been  divinely  effected  and  com- 
municated in  dreams  to  the  mis- 
sionaries, and  this  fact  again  in  ano- 
ther dream  to  St  David  in  the  sixth 
century,  it  follows  that  it  is  not 
worthy  of  the  slightest  attention. 
The  church  was  probably  dedicated 
to  the  Virgin  Mary  for  the  first  time, 
when  St  David  visited  it. 


6 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


of  intertwined  rods,  with  boards,  and  covered  it  with  lead 
from  the  top  to  the  bottom^";  and  he  continues,  *^ as- 
suredly this  praiseworthy  man  exerted  all  his  skill  to  do 
this,  in  such  a  manner  that  the  church  should  lose  none 
of  its  sanctity,  but  acquire  great  increase  of  embellish- 
ment. For  it  is  certain  that  the  adornment  of  churches 
renders  them  more  impressively  influential  in  alluring 
uncultivated* minds  to  prayer,  and  in  bending  the  stiff- 
necked  to  submission." 

We  have  now  arrived,  however,  at  a  period  of  au- 
thentic history,  and  may  pursue  the  narrative  of  the 
successive  changes  in  the  buildings  with  more  con- 
fidence. 

William  of  Malmsbury,  in  his  Deeds  of  the  Bishops^', 
speaks  of  Glastonia  as  a  town  nestled  in  a  morass,  which 
can  only  be  reached  on  foot  or  on  horseback,  and  with 
A.D.  620  advantage  either  in  respect  of  site  or  plea- 
*°  santness.  Here  King  Ina,  by  the  advice  of  the 
blessed  Aldhelm^,  built  a  monastery  and  endowed  it 
largely.  In  the  Antiquities  of  Glastonbury ,  Malmsbury 
says,  that  Ina  founded  the  major  ecclesia^  the  great 
church  of  the  Apostles  Peter  and  Paul.  He  then  takes 
occasion  to  say  that  as  several  separate  basilicas  stood 
on  this  spot,  it  may  be  well  to  enumerate  them  with 
their  founders. 

The  first  and  oldest  was  that  built  by  the  twelve 
disciples  of  the  Apostles  Philip  and  James.  This  stood 
to  the  west  of  all  the  others. 

The  second  was  made  by  St  David,  at  the  east  part 
of  the  oldest  church,  in  honour  of  the  blessed  Mary. 

The  third  was  made  by  the  twelve  converts  who  came 

^  "  Paiilinum...asserit  patrum  tra-  deorsum  coopemisse,"  p.  300. 
ditio,  ecclesise  contextum  dudiim,  ut         ^  £>e  Gestis  Pontificum,  p.  254. 
diximus,  virgese,  ligneo  tabulatu  in-         ^  Aldhelm,  bishop  of  Slierborn 

duisse,  et  plumbo  a  summo  usque  (705 — 709). 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY.  7 

from  the  north  part  of  Britain,  and  this  stood  similarly 
to  the  east  of  the  vetusta  ecclesia. 

The  fourth  and  greatest  was  built  by  Kino-  Ina  in 
honour  of  the  Saviour  and  the  Apostles  St  Peter  and 
-Faiil,  to  the  east  part  of  all  the  others,  for  the  soul 
ot  his  brother  Mules. 

^  We  gather  from  this,  that  at  the  beginning  of  the 
eighth  century,  these  hasilicas,  chapels  or  churches,  con- 
stituted a  group  of  separate  buildings,  after  the  mlnner 
of  the  Greek  convents.  The  old  wicker  church,  or  vetusta 
ecclesia,  stood  to  the  west  of  all  the  others,  and  the  major 
ecclesia  of  King  Ina  to  the  east  of  all  the  others. 

The  two  first  were  dedicated  to  the  Virgin,  and  the 
fourth  (as  well  as  the  third,  as  appears  above)  to  Christ 
and  the  Apostles  Peter  and  Paul. 

It  may  be  remarked  here  that  the  history  of  Can- 
terbury Cathedral  resembles  that  of  Glastonbury  Abbej^, 
in  that  St  Augustine  at  his  coming  in  602,  found  there 
an  early  church.  This  however  had  been  constructed  by 
Eoman  believers  and  he  consecrated  it,  as  is  well  known. 
Also  that  in  740  another  church  was  constructed  by 
Archbishop  Cuthbert  to  the  east  of  it  and  almost  touch- 
ing it,  after  the  same  manner  as  the  basilicas  above  men- 
tioned.   Many  other  similar  cases  might  be  adduced. 

The  monastery  of  King  Ina  brilliantly  maintained  a 
A.D.  871  succession  of  monks  up  to  the  coming  of^the 
9°°-  Danes  in  the  time  of  King  Alfred.  But  then, 
like  others,  it  remained  for  years  in  a  state  of  desola- 
tion. At  length  the  illustrious  Dunstan,  a  monk  of  the 
house,  repaired  all  that  the  wars  had  ruined,  by  the 
liberal  help  of  the  Kings  Edmund  and  Edgar  \  King 
Edmund  had  appointed  Dunstan  abbot  for  the  purpose 
of  introducing  the  Benedictine  rule  into  England,  and  he 

1  Malmsbury,  Gest.  Pont.  p.  254,      De  vita  Dunstani,]).  100. 
and  J.  Bromptou,  p.  758;  also  Osbern 


8 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


immediately,  according  to  his  biographer  Osbern,  set 
about  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  large  church  and  a 
complete  set  of  monastic  offices  according  to  a  plan  which 
had  been  shewn  to  him.  When  these  were  finished  he 
assembled  a  numerous  and  worthy  body  of  monks,  and 
thus  became  the  first  abbot  of  the  first  Benedictine 
monastery  in  England  ^  But  this  monastery  remained 
complete  with  its  books^  ornaments,  and  estates,  until 
the  time  of  the  Normans,  whose  first  abbot,  Turstinus, 
was  installed  in  1082. 

How  far  the  wicker  church  or  its  representative,  and 
the  other  basilicas,  were  affected  by  these  changes  we 
are  not  informed^,  but  it  is  certain  that  at  the  time  of 
the  Conquest  the  churches  were  considered  as  consisting 
of  two  only,  namely,  the  vetusta  ecclesia,  dedicated  to  the 
Virgin  and  representing  the  primitive  wicker  church,  and 
the  major  ecclesia,  the  great  church.  This  distinction  is 
expressed  in  Malmsbury's  mention  of  Abbot  Tica,  who 
died  in  the  eighth  century  I  He  was  buried  in  the 
right  corner  of  the  g7^eat  church,  near  the  entry  or  pas- 
sage to  the  old  church;''  and  we  shall  find  it  laid  down 


^  Dunstan  was  appointed  abbot  of 
Glastonbury  in  940,  consecrated  arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury  in  957,  and  died 
in  988. 

2^t  is  in  the  highest  degree  im- 
probable that  the  wicker  church, 
clothed  with  boards  and  lead  by 
Paulinus  in  625,  should  have  remained 
in  this  condition  for  560  years,  and 
through  the  Danish  ravages  to  the 
time  of  the  fire  of  1 1 84,  as  John  of 
Glaston  asserts  in  an  addition  at  the 
end  of  the  paragraph  concerning  the 
work  of  Paulinus,  which  he  has  copied 
fvom  Malmsbury  (vide  page  5,  above). 
The  ground  of  his  assertion  appears 
to  be  another  sentence  of  Malmsbury, 
which  declares  that  St  Patrick  "was 


buried  in  472,  and  rested  in  the  ve- 
tusta ecclesia,  at  the  right  side  of  the 
altar  for  710  years,  until  the  burning 
of  the  church"  (p.  4,  above).  These 
numbers  shew  that  the  fire  of  11 84 
was  meant,  but  as  Patrick  was  buried 
in  a  stone  coffin,  the  church  above 
might  have  been  rebuilt  over  and 
over  again  without  disturbing  him. 

The  charter  of  king  Cnut  giving 
privileges  to  Glastonbury  in  1032, 
is  promulgated  in  lignea  basilica 
(323). 

3  Malmsbury,  p.  301,  "...Tica  cum 
valefecisset  vitse,  in  dextero  angulo 
major  is  Ecclesice  juxta  introitum  ve- 
tustce  notabilem  accepit  sepultu- 
ram..." 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY.  q 

with  equal  clearness  in  the  account  of  the  rebuildino-  of 
the  churches  after  the  great  fire  of  1 1 83. 

After  Norman  abbots  were  established  in  this  place 
they  soon  began  their  usual  course  of  reconstructing  the 
great  church  and  monastic  buildings  in  their  own  manner 

^^A  new  church  commenced  by  the  first  Norman 
abbot  was  pulled  down  to  the  ground  by  his  successor 
Herlewin  because  it  did  not  correspond  in  magnitude  to 
the  revenues,  and  he  began  a  new  one  upon'^whic]!  he 
spent  480  pounds^" 

Herlewin  was  abbot  during  nineteen  years,  from  iioi 
to  1 1 20.  This  period  was  amply  sufiicient  to  complete 
at  least  all  the  portions  of  a  Norman  church  that  were 
required  for  the  services,  and  even  more,  if  the  works 
were  carried  on  continuously  and  energetically.  No  far- 
ther particulars  of  it  are  recorded.  His  successor  Sigfrid 
occupied  the  abbacy  for  six  years,  and  the  next  abbot, 
Henry  de  Blois,  succeeded  in  11 26.  He  was  made 
bishop  of  "Winchester  eight  years  after,  but  retained  the 
care  of  Glastonbury  to  the  end  of  his  life,  and  presided 
over  it  altogether  during  forty-five  years.  He  was  a  great 
builder  and  his  works  are  thus  recorded  by  Adam  de 
Domerham  (p.  316).  "In  this  monastery  he  built  from 
the  foundations  a  Belltower,  Chapterhouse,  Cloister,  Lava- 
tory, Refectory,  Dormitory  and  Infirmary,  with  its  chapel; 
a  beautiful  and  ample  palace ;  a  handsome  exterior  gate- 
way of  squared  stones  ;  a  large  brewhouse  ;  many  stables 
for  horses,  and  other  works ;  besides  giving  various  orna- 
ments to  the  church." 

From  this  enumeration  it  is  plain  that  the  abbot 
occupied  himself  wholly  with  the  construction  of  a  com- 

1  Ecclesiam  a  prsedecessore  in-  cccclxxx    libras  dispendit  (Malm, 

clioatam,  quia  magnitudmi  posses-  p.  533)-    For  J.  Glaston  sub- 

sioniim  suarum  non  respondebat,  solo  stitutes  circa  quam  consummandam 

tonus  emit  et  novam  inchoavit,  in  qua  ( 164). 


10 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


plete  Norman  monastery,  and  as  the  diurch  is  not 
alluded  to,  we  may  suppose  that  it  was  finished  before 
he  came  into  power  in  112  6.  It  would  thus  have  been 
in  use  for  more  than  sixty  years,  when  the  fire  of  11 84 
dismantled  it. 

This  abbot  also  assigned  to  the  sacrist's  fund  a  pension 
for  the  maintenance  of  a  wax-candle  to  burn  perpetually 
before  the  image  of  the  Virgin  Mary  in  the  vetusta 
ecclesia,  a  phrase  which  at  that  period,  when  a  new 
Norman  great  church  had  just  been  completed  could  only 
apply  to  the  smaller  one  which  occupied  the  site  of  the 
wicker  church  of  the  Virgin. 

It  is  also  related  that  at  this  time,  ''a  precious 
portable  altar  of  sapphire  which  Saint  David  had  presented 
to  Glastonbury,  but  which  in  the  time  of  the  wars  had 
been  concealed  in  a  place  long  forgotten,  was  discovered 
in  a  certain  recess  in  the  church  of  St  Mary.  Abbot 
Henry  decorated  it  with  silver  and  gold  and  precious 
stones,  as  it  now  appears  ^" 

These  passages  seem  to  shew  that  the  old  church 
had  not  been  rebuilt  by  the  Normans,  but  remained  as 
they  received  it  from  the  Saxons  at  the  Conquest. 

This  opinion  is  strengthened  by  comparing  the  pas- 
sages in  Malmsbury,  from  which  we  learn  that  in  this 
vetusta  ecclesia,  or  wicker  church,  St  Gildas,  St  Patrick, 
St  Indractus  and  others  were  buried,  with  the  passage 
of  Domerham's  chronicle  which  informs  us  that  after  the 
fire  these  very  saints  were  dug  up  in  the  vetusta  ecclesia 
and  placed  in  shrines. 

In  II 71  Henry  de  Blois  died  and  Abbot  Robert 
succeeded,  and  ruled  the  abbey  seven  years.  After  his 
death  ^'  it  remained  in  the  hands  of  King  Henry  the 
second  for  many  years,  and  was  committed  to  the  charge 

^  W.  Malmsb.  305,  J.  Glaston,  hands  of  King  H.  VIII.  at  the  disso- 
168,    This  sapphire  came  into  the     lution  of  the  Abbey. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


11 


of  Peter  de  Marci,  a  Cluniac  monk,  who  was  his  came- 
rarius  or  chamberlain." 

During  this  time,  on  the  25th  May,  the  day  of  St 
Urban,  11 84',  ^^a  fire  consumed  the  whole  monastery, 
except  a  chamber  with  a  chapel  built  by  Abbot  Robert, 
in  which  the  monks  afterward  took  refuge,  and  except 
a  campanarium  built  by  Bishop  Henry.  The  beautiful 
group  of  edifices  so  lately  erected  by  this  bishop,  with 
the  church  venerable  to  all,  and  sheltering  so  many 
saints,  were  reduced  to  a  heap  of  ashes.  Soon  after  this 
Peter  de  Marci  died  suddenly  in  the  year  1184^"  In  a 
passage  apparently  interpolated  into  Malmsbury's  Chro- 
nicle, it  is  said  of  this  fire  that  '4t  consumed  not  only  the 
church  and  the  rest  of  the  buildings,  but  its  ornaments, 
its  treasures,  and,  ivliat  luas  more  valuable,  the  greater 
"part  of  the  relicsT  The  writer  declines  to  dwell  upon  the 
afEiction  thereby  occasioned,  but  adds,  that  the  monks 
sought  consolation  by  employing  themselves  in  gather- 
ing together  the  few  fragments,  principally  of  relics, 
which  had  escaped  the  flames. 

The  abbey  was  at  this  time,  as  already  stated,  in  the 
hands  of  the  king;  and  in  his  charter,  issued  soon  after 
the  fire,  we  read  his  declaration  that,  Because  that  what- 
soever a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap,  I,  in  the  act 
of  laying  the  foundation  of  the  church  of  Glastonbury 
(which,  being  in  my  hands,  has  been  reduced  to  ashes  by 
a  fire),  do  decree,  by  the  persuasion  of  Heraclius,  the 
patriarch  of  Jerusalem,  Baldwin,  archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, and  many  others,  that,  God  wilHng,  it  shall  be 
magnificently  completed  by  myself  or  by  my  heirs ^" 


1  1 1 84,  30  H.  II.  "Eodem  anno 
combusta  est  Abbatia  de  Glastyng- 
birie."  Rog.  de  Hoveden,  Annales,  p. 
624.  Savile. 

^  Domerham. 


3  "Quoniam  quse  seminaverifc  ho- 
mo, hsec  et  metet;  Ecclesise  Glasco- 
niensis  fundamentum  jaciens,  quse, 
dum  in  manu  mea  fuerat  incendio 
consumpta  in  cinerem  resedit:  earn 


12     ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY  OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 

The  direction  of  the  works  was  committed  to  his 
camerarius,  Badulphus,  the  son  of  King  Stephen.  He 
completed  the  church  of  St  Mary  in  the  place  where 
from  the  beginning  the  vetusta  ecdesia  had  stood,  build- 
ing it  of  squared  stones  of  the  most  beautiful  workman- 
ship, omitting  no  possible  ornament.  It  was  dedicated 
by  Reginald,  bishop  of  Bath,  on  St  Barnabas'  day 
(June  ii),  A.D.  1186,  circ{ter\  He  repaired  all  the  offices 
of  the  monastery,  and,  lastly,  laid  the  foundations  of  the 
ecdesia  major,  400  feet  in  length,  and  80  feet  in 
breadth." 


Domino  volente,  persuadentibus  Era- 
clio,  Patriarchse  HierosolymitaiiO, 
Baldwino  Arch".  Cant\  Ricardo 
Wintoni.  Ep".  Bartli°.  Exoni.  Ep''.  Ra- 
dulf°.  de  Glanvill,  cum  multis  aliis, 
per  me  aut  per  heredes  meos  consmn- 
mandam  magnificentiis  reparare  de- 
'crevi"  (Hearne,  Hist,  of  Glaston- 
bury, p.  126).  The  charter  is  not 
dated,  but  the  signature  of  the  bishops 
and  the  date  of  the  fire  place  it  be- 
tween 1 1 83  and  1 1 86. 


^  "Ecclesiam  sanctse  Marise  in 
loco  quo  primitus  vetusta  steterat,  ex 
lapidibus  quadris  opere  speciosissimo 
consummavit,  nichil  ornatus  in  ea  pr?e- 
termittens,  quaiyi  dedicavit  Reginal- 
dus  tunc  BatJionice  episcopus.  A".  D\ 
mill\  centes\  octogesimo  circiter 
sexto,  die  S".  Barnahmy  Ad.  de 
Domerham,  335,  and  Joh.  Glaston,  180, 
who  adds  the  sentence  in  italics,  pro- 
bably from  the  bishop's  register. 


CHAPTER  II. 


IDENTITY    OF   ST   JOSEPH's   CHAPEL   WITH* THE   SITE   OP  THE 
WICKER  CHURCH  AND  THE  LADY  CHAPEL  OF  THE  ABBEY. 


The  date  of  the  dedication  of  St  Mary's  cliarcli  (1186, 
circiter)  is  recorded  in  a  manner  which  shews  that  the 
document  from  which  it  was  taken^  probably  the  bishop's 
register,  did  not  furnish  the  last  figure  precisely,  but  only 
inferentially.  Probably  it  was  entered  between  two  other 
events  that  were  accurately  dated:  11 86  would  give 
barely  two  years  for  the  building  of  St  Mary's  church, 
and  we  are  at  liberty  to  suppose  that  rather  a  longer 
time  was  actually  occupied.  Still,  the  short  time  shews 
that  it  was  a  small  work,  and  the  expressions  employed 
with  respect  to  the  site,  ^'  where  from  the  first  the  vetusta 
ecclesia  had  stood,"  leave  no  doubt  that  it  was  erected 
on  the  spot,  traditionally  occupied  by  the  wicker  church 
of  St  Mary,  and  that  it  is  identical  with  the  so-called 
Joseph's  chapel,  standing  to  the  west  of  the  major  ecclesia, 
but  separated  from  it  as  the  primitive  church  of  St  Mary 
stood  with  respect  to  the  other  basilicas^  and  subsequently 
to  the  great  cliurcli  of  King  Ina. 

I  will  now  endeavour  to  shew  that  it  was  also  the 
Lady  chapel  of  the  Abbey  church. 

The  common  assertion  that  the  Lady  chapel  of  Glas- 
tonbury was  on  the  north  side  of  the  choir  of  the  great 
church  is  founded  upon  a  sentence  of  Leland,  who,  after 


14 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


transcribing  and  noting  in  order  the  monuments  and 
inscriptions  in  the  transepts,  choir,  presbytery,  and  nave, 
concludes  with,  ^^In  Capella  S.  Marioe,  a  Boreali  parte 
Chori  in  Sacello,  Joannes  Biconel  Miles  et  Elizabeth. 
Gul.  Semar  Miles  in  eadem  Volta';"  that  is  to  say,  In 
the  chapel  of  St  Mary,  on  the  north  part  of  the  choir,  in 
a  small  chapel,"  are  buried  the  persons  indicated. 

Now  the  choir"  in  question  has  been  assumed  to 
mean  the  cfioir  of  the  great  church;  consequently,  the 
sentence  would  place  the  Lady  chapel  on  the  north  part 
of  the  great  church.  But  the  word  choir"  may  mean 
the  choir  of  the  Lady  chapel  itself;  in  which  case,  the 
persons  indicated  would  be  buried  in  a  small  sepulchral 
or  chantry  chapel  on  the  north  side  of  the  choir  of  the 
Lady  chapel ,  which  I  venture  to  say  is  the  true  inter- 
pretation, for  it  will  appear  as  we  proceed  to  be  perfectly 
consistent  with  other  evidenced 

The  most  complete  testimony  to  the  identity  of  this 
Norman  chapel  with  the  wicker  church  and  the  Lady 
chapel  of  the  abbey,  is  obtained  by  comparing  the  narra- 
tive of  William  of  Worcester's  visit  in  1480  with  the 
tradition  of  the  burial  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea  here, 
w^hich  had  gradually  acquired  such  immense  importance 
at  the  time  of  the  Beformation,  as  I  will  first  shew. 

In  Malmsbury's  Chronicle  the  name  of  Joseph  occurs 
but  once,  at  the  beginning,  when  he  tells  us  that  ^^St 
Philip  sent  twelve  disciples,  over  whom,  as  it  is  reported 
{ut  ferunt),  his  dearest  friend,  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  the 
same  who  buried  our  Lord,  presided."  Not  another  allu- 
sion is  made  to  him,  not  even  in  the  charter  of  St  Patrick, 

^  Ilin.  f.  86.  might  well  have  been  one  of  those 

^  On  the  north  side  of  the  eastern  parasitical  chantries  that  occur  so 

part  of  the  Lady  chapel  there  are  commonly  in  such  positions.  Some 

manifest  indications  which  shew  that  writers  place  the  Lady  chapel  at  the 

an  attached  building  had  been  added  east  end  of  the  great  church, 
to  it  between  the  buttresses,  which 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


15 


wliich  contains  a  summary  of  the  history  of  the  mission ; 
or  in  the  list  of  the  various  rehcs  deposited  at  Glaston- 
bury \"  although  that  list  begins  with  the  'Hwelve  disci- 
ples of  St  Philip."  Evidently  Malmsbury  attached  no 
credence  to  the  legend  of  J oseph,  and  it  was  not  at  that 
time  put  forth  as  one  of  the  great  glories  of  the  abbey 
that  Joseph  was  buried  there.  Adam  de  Domerham, 
the  next  chronicler,  is  equally  silent  on  this  subject,  and 
we  are  thus  carried  to  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  century. 

The  belief  that  Joseph  of  Arimathea  was  really  buried 
in  the  cemeter}'^  appears  in  the  fourteenth  century;  when 
in  1345  J.  Blome  obtained  a  royal  licence  ^'io  seek  within 
the  boundary  of  the  monastery  of  Glastonia  for  the  body 
of  Joseph  of  Arimathea,"  in  consequence,  as  he  asserts, 
of  a  divine  injunction  and  revelation  made  to  him.  The 
licence^,  dated  June  10,  1345,  permits  him  to  dig  within 
the  precinct  of  the  monastery  for  this  purpose,  provided 
that  it  be  done  without  endangering  the  church  and 
buildings,  and  also  with  consent  of  the  abbot  and  con- 
vents This  is  the  only  record  left  of  the  project,  but  the 
chronicle  of  R.  de  Boston  (p.  137),  under  the  year  1367, 
states  that  the  bodies  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea  and  his 
companions  were  found  in  this  year  at  Glaston  ^ ;  a  pro- 
bable mistake  for  sought.  These  are  at  least  indications 
of  the  growing  tendency  to  encourage  the  belief  in  a 
tradition  to  which,  as  I  have  shewn,  the  earlier  chroni- 
cles of  the  monastery  attached  but  small  credence.  On 
the  contrary,  John  of  Glaston,  their  last  historian,  writing 
at  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century,  dwells  upon 
this  tradition  and  spares  no  pains  to  establish  it. 

The  authority  which  John  Glaston  quotes  in  support 
of  the  actual  burial  of  Joseph  in  the  cemetery  is  an 
ancient  British  historian,  named  Melkin,  who  lived  before 


1  p.  301. 


2  Rymer,  V.  458. 


^  Sparke,  Script. 


16 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


Merlin^  and  wrote  concerning  the  mission  of  St  Philip's 
disciples;  that  they  died  in  succession,  and  were  buried 
in  the  cemetery.  Amongst  them  Joseph  of  Marmore, 
named  of  Arimathea,  receives  perpetual  sleep.  And  he 
lies  in  linea  hifurcata  near  the  south  corner  of  the  oratory, 
which  is  built  of  hurdles  \" 

It  is  worth  remarking  here  that  when  Leland  visited 
Glastonbury,  about  1540,  Abbot  Whiting  admitted  him 
to  the  library  of  the  monastery,  in  which  he  found  a 
fragment  of  Melkin's  history,  Historiolam  de  rebus  Bri- 
tannicis:  an  author,  as  he  tells  us,  entirely  unknown  to 
him.  He  read  this  fragment  with  great  interest  and 
pleasure,  and  found  in  it  the  very  narrative  quoted  above. 
Doubtless  the  manuscript  was  the  identical  one  employed 
by  John  of  Glaston,  whose  chronicle  was  unknown  to 
Leland.  Melkin  was  placed  by  Leland  in  his  catalogue 
of  British  writers^,  and  figures  accordingly  in  the  works 
of  his  copyists,  Tanner,  Gale,  Pits,  and  others. 

Leland  gathered  from  the  manuscript  that  the  author 
was  a  Welshman  and  a  Bard,  and  that  he  flourished 
about  the  year  550  A.  d.  ;  that  is  to  say,  about  five  hun- 
dred years  after  the  alleged  burial  of  J oseph.  He  cannot 
therefore  be  considered  as  an  authority  in  that  matter,  yet 
John  of  Glaston  accepts  his  account  unhesitatingly,  and 
interpolates  J  oseph  in  the  sentences  which  he  copies  from 
Malmsbury.    To  the  list  of  the  saints  buried  at  Glaston- 


^  "  Inter  quos  Joseph  de  Marmore 
ab  Arimathea  nomine,  cepit  somnum 
perpetuum  etjacet  in  linea  hifurcata, 
juxta  meridianum  angulum  oratorii 
cratihus  prwparatis^^  (Melkin,  apud 
Glaston,  pp.  30  and  5 5). 

Linea,  according  to  Ducange,  is 
an  under  garment,  close  fitting,  and 
made  of  linen ;  "  vestis  interior  stricta, 
ex  lino  confecta,  unde  nomen ;"  "a 
camisia,  subucula,  or  shirt;"  the  epi- 


thet hifurcata,  peculiar,  I  believe, 
to  this  example,  appears  to  imply  that 
it  was  divided  below  into  two  flaps 
like  that  ordinary  garment.  The  pas- 
sage therefore  simply  reads  that 
Joseph  of  Arimathea  was  buried  in  a 
linen  shirt.  A  dalmatic,  being  open 
at  the  sides  below,  also  deserves  the 
epithet  bifurcate. 
^  Leland,  De  scriptorihus,  p.  41. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


17 


bury  he  adds  not  only  J oseph  of  Arimathea  but  also  his 
son  Josephes^ 

This  tradition  not  only  brought  a  great  accession  of 
devotees  and  pilgrims  to  the  abbey,  but  gave  rise  to  an 
intense  desire  in  all  ranks  of  the  people  to  be  buried  in 
or  near  the  holy  ground  that  was  the  resting-place  of  so 
many  saints,  for  which  privilege  they  gave  immense  gifts. 

Now  William  of  Worcester  visited  Glastonbury  about 
1478,  and,  according  to  his  practice,  gives  us  the  particu- 
lars and  measures  of  the  whole  church  and  its  appen- 
dages. After  surveying  the  choir  and  the  nave  he  comes 
to  the  Lady  chapel,  which  he  describes  in  the  following 
sentence  : 

Church  of  the       "  The  length  of  the  chapel  of  the  Blessed 


at  thetn^o7  Mary,  which  is  conterminous  with  the  west 

the  west  door 


of  the  nave  of  P^^^  ^^^^  ^^'^^  church,  is 

the  church.  2^  yards  and  its  width  is  8  yards,  and  on  both 
sides  there  are  large  windows.  And  opposite  the  second 
window  on  the  south  there  are  in  the  cemetery  two 
stone  crosses  hollowed,  where  the  bones  of  King  Arthur 
were  buried,  and  where  m  Imea  hifurcata  lies  J  oseph  of 
Arimathea^" 

This  last  phrase,  identical  with  that  of  Melkin  and 
John  of  Glaston^,  identifies  the  Lady  chapel  in  which 
Worcester  was  standing  with  the  traditional  site  of  the 
wicker  church,  while  his  exact  description  of  the  position 
of  this  Lad^  chapel  attached  to  the  ivest  end  of  the  church, 


1  J,  Glaston,  p.  16. 

2  Eccl'ia  b'te 
Marie  in 
fine  occi'tlis 
pte  navis 
dc'e  ecclie 


p.  16,  above. 


Long'do  capelle  b'te  Marie  que  est  9t'mia  ex 
p'te  occnt'li  p'te  Navis  ecciie  Qtnet.  34.  virgas 
lati*^".  ej's  Qti'et  8  virgas 
Et  in  qlbt  latere  s'nt  fenestre  magne 
Et  ex  opposite  s'cde  fenestre  ex  p'te  m'idio". 
est  in  cimit'io  due  cruces  lapidee  concavate 
ubi  ossa  Arthuri  regis  recondebat'  ubi  in  linea 
bifurcata  jacet  Jh'o  ab  Arimathea. 


18 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


shews  that  it  was  identical  with  the  present  chapel  of 
St  Joseph;  and  if  more  evidence  be  required,  the  coinci- 
dence of  the  dimensions  will  supply  it.  For  Worcester's 
measure  gives  102  feet  long  by  24  broad,  and  the  interior 
is  actually  109  by  24  mean. 

The  length  being  measured  from  one  end  to  the  other 
also  shews  that  when  "Worcester  measured  it,  it  was 
thrown  into  one  apartment  as  at  present. 

After  the  Reformation,  the  ruins  and  history  of  Glas- 
tonbury occupy  many  writers.  Camden,  in  his  Britannia 
(1607),  amongst  other  things,  quotes  from  Giraldus  the 
finding  of  King  Arthur's  tomb,  but  not  a  word  of  the 
state  of  the  ruins,  or  of  St  J oseph.  But  Hollar,  in  the 
first  edition  of  the  Moiiasticon,  1655,  engraves  views  and 
a  plan  of  the  ruins,  in  which  the  western  chapel  is  lettered 
Josephi  sacellum.  Mr  Ray,  in  his  Itinerary,  1662,  rode 
to  Glastonbury,  and  ^^saw  Joseph  of  Arimathea's  Tomb 
and  Chapel  at  the  End  of  the  Church,  &c."  p.  261. 

Hearne  gives  an  excellent  anonymous  History  of 
Glastonbury,  known  however  to  have  been  written  by 
Mr  Ey ton,  1 7 1 6,  a  Boman  Catholic.  He  tells  us  that 
^'  St  Joseph's  chapel  was  so  called ,  not  that  it  was  dedi- 
cated to  him,  but  because  St  Joseph  built  itT    p.  24. 

Stukeley,  in  his  Itinerary,  p.  153,  gives  drawings  and 
a  plan,  dated  on  the  plate  17th  Aug.  1723,  and  simply 
terms  the  chapel  in  question,  ^Hhe  chapel  of  Joseph  of 
Arimathea,  the  patron  and  asserted  founder  of  the  whole. 
This  they  say  was  the  first  Christian  church  in  Britain. 
The  present  work  is  about  the  third  building  on  the 
spot.''  It  appears  probable  from  this  series  of  writers 
that  the  name  of  Joseph's  chapel  had  been  popularly 
fixed  upon  the  Lady  chapel  even  before  the  Reformation, 
and  it  has  retained  it  to  the  present  time,  as  a  most 
curious  record  of  the  permanency  of  local  superstition. 
But  the  memoranda  of  Leland  and  Worcester  shew  that 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


19 


the  monks  themselves  termed  it  the  chapel  of  St  Mary ; 
and  from  all  existing  documents,  it  is  manifest  that  the 
epithet  Saint"  was  not  prefixed  at  Glastonbury  to  the 
name  of  J oseph  of  Arimathea  until  the  1 8th  century.  It 
first  occurs  in  Mr  Eyton's  history,  as  above,  and  is  now 
always  employed  in  the  name  of  this  remarkable  building  \ 
In  Spelman's  Concilia,  Vol.  i.  page  20,  there  is  given 
the  impression  of  an  inscribed  brass  plate,  which,  as  he 
relates,  was  dug  up  at  Glastonbury,  and  came  into  his 
possession.  The  shape  of  the  plate  is  an  irregular  octa- 
gon with  a  prolongation  below,  and  from  each  side  a  little 
ear  projects,  with  a  hole  through  it,  by  means  of  which 
the  plate  was  anciently  riveted  to  a  stone  pillar,  as  the 
inscription  testifies.  The  plate  is  covered  by  a  Latin  in- 
scription in  black  letter,  not  later  than  the  14th  century; 
and  Spelman  has  printed  this  inscription  from  the  plate 
itself,  by  using  it  as  an  engraver's  plate.  But  as  this 
reverses  the  letters  of  the  inscription,  he  has  also  given  a 
transfer  from  the  impression  on  the  opposite  page,  by 
which  the  inscription  is  presented  as  it  appeared  on  the 
plate  itself. 

The  inscription  recites  at  length  the  visit  of  the  first 
missionaries,  with  Joseph  of  Arimathea  at  their  head, 
the  miraculous  dedication  of  the  first  church  to  the  Yir- 


1  A  piece  of  indirect  evidence  to 
the  position  of  the  Lady  chapel  is 
contained  in  the  following  transac- 
tion. When  Savaricus  was  made  bishop 
of  Wells  (II 92  to  1206)  he  annexed 
the  abbey  to  the  bishopric,  assuming 
the  title  of  bishop  of  Glastonbury. 
The  papal  confirmation  of  this  trans- 
action commands  that  "the  bishop 
shall  have  those  houses  near  the  ca- 
pellam  heatw  Mariw,  which  belonged 
to  the  abbot,  with  the  inclosure  by 
the  wall  which  extends  from  the 
larder  to  the  corner  of  the  said  cha- 


pel, and  he  shall  be  allowed  to  make 
his  portal  towards  the  market-place 
of  Glastonbury."  Ad.  Domerh.  p.  42 1  • 
This  is  clear  evidence  that  the  so- 
called  chapel  of  St  Joseph  is  the 
chapel  of  the  Virgin,  as  the  position 
of  a  wall  connecting  the  kitchen  court 
of  the  abbot,  where  the  larder  would 
be,  with  the  Joseph  chapel  is  well 
known.  It  is  shewn  at  the  bottom  of 
the  plan  Fig.  i,  extending  from  the 
right,  where  the  kitchen  court  is 
pkced,  and  running  within  a  few  feet 
of  the  west  end  of  the  chapel. 

2—2 


20 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


gin,  as  revealed  by  the  dream  of  St  David,  and  the  ad- 
dition which  he  made  to  the  first  church,  which  is  said 
to  have  been  hke  a  chancel  projecting  eastward.  It  then 
proceeds  as  follows:  '^Lest  the  place  and  magnitude  of 
the  first  church  should  by  such  augmentations  be  for- 
gotten, this  column  was  erected  on  a  line  passing  through 
the  two  eastern  angles  of  that  church,  and  protracted 
southward,  thus  cutting  off  the  aforesaid  chancel.  And 
the  length  of  the  church  was  60  feet  westward  from  that 
line.  Its  breadth  26  feet;  and  the  distance  from  the 
centre  of  this  column,  to  the  middle  point  between  the 
two  said  angles,  is  48  feet."  These  dimensions  are  very 
nearly  those  of  the  Norman  chapel  itself.  Its  length 
inside  is  55  feet,  outside  64  feet,  supposing  its  east  wall 
standing.  Its  breadth  inside  is  24  feet  6  inches,  and 
outside  32  feet  6  inches. 

Evidently  the  plate  was  fixed  to  a  stone  pillar  in  the 
old  cemetery  of  the  monks,  on  the  south  of  St  Joseph's 
chapeP,  and  was  possibly  a  second  edition  of  an  older 
one  that  was  perishing  by  age.  The  plate  is  now,  I  pre- 
sume, lost^  I  describe  it  simply  as  offering  an  example 
of  the  care  with  which  the  monks  fostered  the  traditions 
of  their  church,  and  presented  them  to  the  multitude. 

The  pillar  is  alluded  to  in  the  preface  added  to  John 
Glaston's  chronicle  by  a  greatly  subsequent  writer  2,  in 
which  the  early  legends  are  summed  up.  The  writer, 
after  relating  the  addition  of  a  chancel  by  St  David,  adds*, 

^  In  the  plan  I  have  marked  the         ^  Printed  in   Hearne's  Johii  of 

spot,  48  feet  south  from  the  centre  of  Glaston,  and  Dugdale's  Monasticon. 
the  chapel,  which  would  be  the  site         ^  "Et  ut  semper  nosceretur  ubi 

of  the  pillar.  Capellse  istse  conjungebantur  qusedam 

2  Hearne  says  that  in  Mr  Brough-  piramis  in  parte  septentrionali  exte- 

ton's  time  it  was  in  the  custody  of  rius  et  quidam  gradus  interius,  et 

Thomas  Hewes,  of  the  city  of  Wells,  meridies  linealiter   eas  abscindunt. 

Hearne's     Glastonbury,     p.     118.  Juxta  quam  lineam  secundum  quos- 

Broughton's  Age  of  Faith,  Vol.  i.  cap.  dam  antiquorum  jacet  Sanctus  Joseph 

22,  p.  no.  cum  magna  multitudine  sanctorum." 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


21 


^^And  that  the  point  wliere  this  chancel  joined  the 
church  might  be  always  known,  a  certain  pyramid  out- 
side on  the  south,  and  a  certain  interior  step  within, 
on  the  same  meridian  line,  marked  the  division  between 
them.  Near  this  line,  according  to  certain  ancient  writers, 
lies  St  Joseph  with  a  great  multitude  of  saints."  This 
writer  appears  to  confound  the  meridian  line  with  the 
linea  hifiircata. 


CHAPTER  III. 

DOCUMENTARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  CHURCH  FROM  1 1 84 
TO  THE  SUPPRESSION  OF  THE  MONASTERY. 


The  position  and  date  of  the  church  of  St  Mary  being 
fixed,  we  may  proceed  with  the  history  of  the  new 
ecclesigb  major,  or  great  church,  of  which,  as  we  have  seen, 
the  foundations  were  laid  by  the  king's  camerarius, 
Radulphus,  son  of  King  Stephen,  400  feet  in  length  and 
80  feet  in  breadth.  The  chronicler  Domerham  goes  on 
to  relate  that,  '^Persevering  in  the  work  continually  he 
spared  no  expense,  for  the  king  supplied  the  means  when 
the  resources  of  Glastonbury  failed. 

''In  the  foundations  of  the  church  were  placed  the 
stones,  not  only  of  the  great  palace,  built  by  Bishop 
Henry,  but  of  the  entire  wall  which  surrounded  the  court 
of  the  monastery. 

"  Great  part  of  the  ecclesia  major  having  been  built, 
the  rest  would  have  been  beautifully  completed  had  the 
Lord  prolonged  the  king's  life.  But  alas,  covetous  death 
snatched  him  away  too  hastily,  and  the  monks,  just  re- 
covering breath  from  their  last  misfortune,  were  smitten 
with  a  heavier  wound,  for  he  died  on  the  6th  of  July, 
1 189,  after  reigning  for  35  years. 

"  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Pichard,  whose  war- 
like tastes  diverted  his  attention  from  the  building  of 
Glastonbury  church.   Wherefore  the  work  stopped,  be- 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY  OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY.  23 

cause  no  funds  were  forthcoming  to  pay  the  wages  of  the 
workmen." 

As  the  fire  happened  in  1184,  the  work  had  only  pro- 
ceeded for  five  years.    The  abbot  at  this  period 
A.D^ii89to  ^^^g  Henry  de  Soliaco,  nephew  of  Henry  II.; 

but  he  lent  not  his  hand  to  the  work  of  re- 
building, and  quarrelled  with  the  convent."  The  monks 
therefore  set  about  to  raise  money  by  the  usual  expedi- 
ent of  "  sending  preachers  selected  from  their  brethren 
through  various  provinces  with  relics'  and  pontifical  indul- 
gences, to  solicit  alms  for  the  carrying  on  of  the  work." 
Thus  says  the  historian. 

It  may  be  remarked  in  this  place  that  the  old 
church  of  St  Mary  had  preserved  up  to  the  time  of 
the  fire  the  arrangements  of  the  Saxon  church.  The 
body  of  St  Patrick  (who  died  in  472)  rested  in  a  stone 
pyramid  at  the  south  or  right  side  of  the  altar,  which 
pyramid  the  historian  tells  us  had  been  subsequently 
plated  handsomely  with  gold  and  silver. 

St  Gildas  remained  in  front  of  the  altar,  as  he  was 
buried  beneath  the  pavement  in  512.  The  martyr 
St  Indractus  and  his  companions  had  been  translated 
hither  by  King  Ina.  The  former  was  placed  in  a  stone 
pyramid  at  the  left  of  the  altar,  the  others  buried  under 
the  pavement.  Beside  these,  a  quantity  of  relics  of 
innumerable  saints  are  mentioned  which  were  placed 
above  the  altar  or  elsewhere.  When  the  fire  happened, 
Malmsbury  expressly  declares  that  it  consumed  the 
greater  part  of  the  relics,  a  phrase  which  may  be  sup- 
posed to  include  the  latter  class;  for  those  which  were 
enclosed  in  tombs  or  buried  under  the  pavement  must 
have  escaped.  There  were  also  many  shrines  and  relics 
in  the  great  Norman  church  which  must  have  sufiered. 

It  was  in  perfect  accordance  with  the  practice  of  the 
period  at  which  this  fire  took  place,  that  the  monks 


24 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


•  should  remove  the  remains  of  these  saints  from  their 
tombs  and  from  under  the  pavement,  and  place  them  in 
coffers  or  shrines  as  they  were  called.  Domerham  ex- 
pressly states  that  at  this  time/'  that  is  to  say,  during 
the  reconstruction  of  the  church,  'Hhe  bodies  of  the 
saints,  Patrick,  Indractus  and  Gildas,  were  dug  up  in  the 
vetusta  ecclcsia,  and  placed  in  shrines;"  which  manifestly 
admitted  of  being  removed  to  make  way  for  the  work 
of  rebuilding,  and  also  of  being  displayed  at  the  proper 
time  for  the  attraction  of  offerings. 

But  sudden  difficulties  require  extraordinary  remedies, 
and  I  have  often  had  occasion  to  point  out  that  in  the 
middle  ages  the  raising  of  funds  for  the  rebuilding  of 
churches,  after  great  conflagrations  or  the  sudden  ruin  of 
a  tower,  has  been  promoted  by  the  opportune  production 
of  a  new  and  attractive  saint,  or  of  some  monkish  marvel, 
that  served  to  direct  popular  attention  to  the  church  and 
bring  offerings  to  the  treasury. 

Accordingly  it  happens  that  at  the  very  period  we 
are  considering  the  monks  produced  the  relics  of  St  Dun- 
stan,  and  the  abbot  disinterred  King  Arthur  and  his 
queen.  These  afterwards  ranked  amongst  the  greatest 
attraction  and  ornaments  of  the  Abbey  church. 

I  will  relate  the  leading  particulars  concerning  the 
relics  of  St  Dunstan  on  the  authority  of  Malmsbury  or 
his  interpolator  ^ 

The  monks  of  Glastonbury  asserted  that,  after  the 
Danish  sack  of  Canterbury  in  loii,  while  that  church 
remained  desolate  for  many  years,  a  party  was  despatch- 
ed from  their  monastery  to  steal  the  body  of  Dunstan. 
They  broke  open  his  tomb,  carried  off  his  bones,  his 
ring,  and  other  relics,  and  were  received  with  great  joy 
on  their  return  to  Glastonbury.  This  translation,  as 
they  termed  it,  took  place  in  1012.    But  when  they 

^  Malmsbury,  301. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


25 


began  to  consider  tlie  case  coolly,  they  perceived  tliat 
possibly,  after  the  country  had  recovered  its  prosperity 
and  the  church  of  Canterbury  its  authority,  the  Arch- 
bishop might  insist  upon  the  restoration  of  the  abstracted 
relics.  They  therefore  commissioned  two  of  the  older 
brethren  to  undertake  the  deposit  of  the  holy  bones  in 
some  secure  place  known  only  to  themselves.  This 
secret  to  be  handed  over  to  another  only  when  the  last 
possessor  was  on  the  point  of  death,  so  that  one  person 
only  should  possess  it  until  the  time  came  when  it  could 
be  safely  revealed.  These  trustees  enclosed  the  bones  in 
a  box  with  proper  inscriptions,  and  hid  it  in  a  hole  which 
they  dug  under  the  pavement  of  the  great  church,  near 
the  holy  water  at  the  right  hand  of  the  entrance,  and 
there  it  remained  undisturbed  for  one  hundred  and 
seventy-two  years,  as  Malmsbury  or  his  interpolator 
declares. 

But  although  the  hiding-place  was  concealed,  the  pos- 
session of  these  relics  was  not  forgotten,  for  about  a 
century  after  these  transactions  the  monks  began  to 
boast  that  Dunstan  was  in  their  possession,  and  immedi- 
ately a  strong  letter  was  written  from  Canterbury  by 
Edmer,  reproaching  them  for  their  dishonesty,  and  ridi- 
culing their  pretensions,  on  the  ground  that  fifty  years 
before,  he  himself  had  witnessed  the  translation  of  Dun- 
stan's  coffin  inviolate,  upon  the  occasion  of  the  building 
of  Lanfranc's  cathedral.  This  letter  seems  to  have  pro- 
duced no  result. 

When  the  fire  happened  in  1184,  and  the  monks 
were  dolefully  collecting  their  scorched  relics,  and  trying 
to  make  the  most  of  them,  they  became  anxious  to  find 
Dunstan.  It  soon  appeared  that  the  secret  of  the  hiding- 
place  was  known  to  most  of  the  monks.  Two,  bolder 
than  the  rest,  raised  the  stone  near  the  holy  water-stoup 
and  found  the  box  beneath,  strongly  bound  with  iron. 


26 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


The  prior  and  convent  assembled,  the  relics  and  the  ring 
were  found,  as  well  as  the  inscriptions,  painted  by  those 
who  concealed  the  box,  which  declared  the  remains  to  be 
those  of  St  Dunstan. 

The  monks  now  took  courage  to  produce  the  relics 
for  the  first  time  to  the  world,  and  accordingly  they 
were  placed  in  a  shrine  handsomely  clothed  with  silver 
and  gold.  The  arm  and  forearm  of  St  Oswald,  king  and 
martyr,  were  enclosed  in  the  shrine,  which  was  removed 
to  the  great  church,  and  as  Malmsbury's  interpolator 
states,  great  miracles  and  cures  were  wrought  upon  the 
worshippers  \ 

That  it  was,  up  to  the  Reformation,  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal shrines  of  the  great  church,  is  proved  by  the  second 
correspondence  which  took  place  between  the  authorities 
of  Canterbury  and  Glastonbury  upon  the  subject,  in  the 
1 6  th  century  I  This  throws  so  much  light  upon  the 
nature  and  intensity  of  relic  worship  in  the  middle  ages, 
that  I  will  extract  some  particulars  from  it. 

A  formal  scrutiny  of  the  shrine  of  St  Dunstan  was 
made  at  Canterbury  in  1508  in  presence  of  Archbishop 
"Warham  and  Prior  Goldston.  They  report  to  the  Abbot 
of  Glastonbury  that  their  shrine  contained  all  the  prin- 
cipal bones,  and  as  much  of  the  body  as  could  possibly 
have  remained  entire  after  so  many  centuries,  besides  a 
leaden  plate  bearing  the  name  of  the  saint  and  other 
matters.  Also  that  it  exhibited  no  appearance  of  having 
been  ever  opened.  The  archbishop  therefore  requires  the 
abbot  and  rest  of  the  convent  to  abandon  their  pretensions 
to  the  possession  of  St  Dunstan,  and  no  longer  to  offer 
the  relics  for  the  adoration  of  the  people.  The  Abbot  of 
Glastonbury  (Bere)  replies,  amongst  other  things,  that  if 

^  I  have  condensed  the  above  his-     ham,  336.   J.  Glaston,  1 80. 
tory  of  St  Dunstan's   rehes  from         ^  Anglia  Sacra,  Vol.  11.  pp.  222 — ■ 
Malmsbury's  Chronicle,  304.  Domer-  233. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY.  27 

any  bones  remain  in  the  shrine  of  Canterbury,  they  must 
have  been  left  behind  by  those  who  removed  the  rehcs 
to  Glastonbury;  and  declares  that  for  more  than  two 
hundred  years  the  shrine  of  their  patron  St  Dunstan  has 
been  set  up  in  the  church  under  the  sanction  and  au- 
thority of  the  Bishop  of  the  Diocese,  with  power  to  re- 
move it  from  place  to  placed  That  yearly,  on  the  feast 
of  their  patron,  all  the  parishioners,  laying  aside  domestic 
work,  keep  holiday,  and  come  to  the  abbey  church,  both 
men  and  women,  with  the  greatest  veneration.  And 
should  any  one  refuse  to  do  so,  and  continue  to  attend 
to  his  work  or  affairs,  nothing  prospers  with  him  in  that 
year,  and  grave  injury  results  to  his  property  and  his 
family.  And  this,  he  declares,  perpetually  happens. 
Whoever,  he  adds,  saw  the  earnest  concourse  of  people 
daily  supplicating  at  this  shrine  with  bare  feet,  and  gar- 
ments cast  aside,  would  say,  ^^Let  them  alone,  lest  haply 

we  be  found  even  to  fight  against  God^"  The  reply  of 

the  Archbishop,  after  enlarging  in  strong  terms  upon  the 
indecent  phenomenon  of  two  churches  claiming  respec- 
tively the  possession  of  the  body  of  the  same  saint,  de- 
clares that  unless  the  Abbot  transmits  to  him  before  All 
Saints'  Day,  evidences  to  satisfy  him  of  the  genuineness 
of  these  relics,  the  strongest  legal  measures  shall  be  put 
in  action  to  terminate  this  scandal. 

I  will  now,  without  stopping  to  discuss  doubtful  points, 
simply  relate  the  leading  parts  of  the  history  of  the  disin- 
terment of  King  Arthur  s  remains,  as  I  gather  them  from 
the  best  authorities^. 

It  happened  that  King  Henry  the  Second,  on  occa- 
sion of  his  expedition  for  the  conquest  of  Ireland^,  em- 


^  An  inventory  of  the  bones  in  the 
shrine  of  St  Dunstan  at  Glastonbury, 
is  in  the  Cotton  MS.  Titus,  D.  vii,  i, 
and  printed  by  Hearne. 


2  Acts  V.  38,  39. 
Vide  Leland's  Assertio  Arturii. 

^  A,D.  1 171. 


28 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


barked  with  his  army  from  Milford  Haven.  But  while 
waiting  at  Menevia  (St  David's)  for  that  purpose,  he  was 
entertained  at  his  feasts,  after  the  manner  of  the  country, 
by  the  songs  of  the  Bards  with  their  harps. 

One,  the  most  learned  of  these,  sang  the  praises  and 
history  of  the  renowned  King  Arthur,  comparing  him 
with  the  future  conqueror  before  whom  he  stood,  who  lost 
not  a  word,  but  listened  with  the  most  intense  gratifica- 
tion and  pleasure,  and  dismissed  the  Bard  with  a  munifi- 
cent reward. 

From  him  he  learnt  the  traditional  particulars  of 
Arthur's  mortal  wound  at  the  battle  of  Kamlen  in  Corn- 
walP,  and  how  he  was  conveyed  by  water  to  the  monas- 
tery of  Avalonia,  and  buried  near  the  old  church  there, 
in  a  wooden  coffin,  deep  in  the  ground.  Also,  that  the 
spot  was  marked  by  two  pyramids  richly  sculptured,  and 
set  up  to  his  memory. 

The  king  earnestly  pressed  upon  his  nephew  Henry 
de  Soliaco,  then,  or  soon  after,  abbot  of  Glastonbury,  the 
importance  of  removing  the  remains  of  King  Arthur  to  a 
more  honourable  position,  within  the  church,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  ideas  and  practice  of  that  time.  But  it 
was  at  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Bichard  I.^  that  the 
abbot,  on  a  certain  day,  commanded  the  place  indicated 
between  the  pyramids,  to  be  surrounded  with  curtains 
and  excavated.  Everything  happened  in  accordance  with 
the  legends  of  the  British  Bard.  They  dug  sixteen  feet 
downwards,  and  then  came  to  a  wooden  sarcophagus  of 
enormous  size,  made  out  of  a  hollowed  oak. 

When  raised  to  the  surface  and  opened,  its  cavity  was 
found  to  be  divided  into  two  parts.    The  one  which  occu- 

^  This  event  took  place  in  the  Cronica  Persorana,  and  is  the  most 

middle  of  the  sixth  century,  c.  543.  consistent  with  the  history  of  the 

2  1 191  is  the  date  given  by  Wend-  abbey, 
over  and  Matthew  Paris,  and  the 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY.  29 

pied  two-thirds  of  the  length  from  the  head,  contained  the 
bones  of  a  man  of  immense  stature,  so  great,  that  the  leg- 
bone,  or  tibia,  set  upright  on  the  ground,  reached  to  the 
middle  of  the  thigh  of  a  tall  living  man. 

In  the  shorter  cavity  were  deposited  the-  bones  of  a 
female,  supposed  to  be  those  of  his  queen  Ginevra;  and 
there  was  seen  a  tress  of  flaxen  hair,  preserving  its  form 
and  colour.  But  a  certain  monk  snatching  at  this  too 
hastily,  in  the  attempt  to  raise  it  from  its  recess,  it  imme- 
diately fell  to  dust. 

They  also  found  a  leaden  cross  with  a  Latin  inscrip- 
tion, declaring  that  "  Here  lies  buried,  in  the  island  Ava- 
LONiA,  the  renowned  King  Arthur." 

The  relics  were  removed  to  the  great  church,  built  by 
Henry  II.,  and  placed  in  a  chapel  in  the  south  aisle, 
through  which  is  a  passage  to  the  almery^  Afterwards 
they  were  transferred  to  a  black  marble  mausoleum,  divided 
within  into  two  parts,  as  in  the  original  receptacle.  The 
king's  relics  at  the  head  of  the  tomb,  the  queen's  at  the 
foot,  towards  the  east.  This  was  placed  in  the  middle  of 
the  presbytery;  and  finally,  in  1276,  Edward  I.  and  his 
queen  visited  Glastonbury,  and  the  sarcophagus  was 
opened  for  their  inspection.  The  separated  bones  of  the 
king,  of  marvellous  magnitude,  were  seen.  The  sepulchre 
was  ordered  to  be  placed  before  the  high  altar.  The 
skulls  of  the  king  and  queen  to  remain  outside  for  the 
devotion  of  the  people.  Leland  saw  the  tomb  at  the 
latter  end  of  the  15th  century. 

Malmsbury  (p.  306)  mentions  the  burial  of  Arthur 

^  The  words  employed  by  the  monk  and  as  this  would  be  deposited  in  the 

of  Glastonbury,  quoted  by  Leland  in  almonry,  or  eleemosynaria,  of  the 

reference  to  this  first  place  of  deposit,  monastery,  the  word  may  be  fairly 

are  "Porticus  ad  meridiem  est,  et  translated  ^Zmonr?/ or  a?m^r?/.  This 

sacellum,  quo  itur  in  gazophylaciumr  monastic  office  was  always  placed  close 

Assertio  Arturii,  p.  55-    Gazophy-  to  the  entrance  gate  of  the  curia  or 

lacium  is,  properly,  the  chest  in  which  outer  court, 
alms  to  be  given  to  the  poor  are  kept, 


30 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


and  his  queen  between  two  pyramids  in  the  monks' 
cemetery,  which  Worcester  saw  on  the  south  side  of 
the  chapel'.  But  Malmsbury  describes  two  other  pyra- 
mids^, which,  he  says,  stand  several  feet  distant  from 
the  vetusta  ecclesia,  and  in  front  of  the  monks'  cemetery. 
The  nearest  to  the  church  is  26  feet,  the  other  18  feet, 
high ;  and  he  describes  their  ornaments  and  unintelligible 
inscriptions.  He  professes  entire  ignorance  of  the  origin 
of  these  pyramids  and  their  meaning,  but  suggests  that 
they  contain  bones  deposited  in  cavities  within  the  stones ; 
and  that  the  words  inscribed  upon  them,  are  the  names 
of  the  persons. 

We  may  now  return  to  the  large  church,  great  part  of 
which  was  built,  as  we  have  seen,  when  King  Henry  died 
in  1 189,  and  the  monks  were  driven  to  their  wits'  end  to 

raise  money  for  completing  it.    This  was  dedi- 
^32/^°^*°  cated  in  the  time  of  Abbot  Galfridus  Fromond, 

and  must  therefore  have  been  roofed  in  and 
completed  in  all  essential  parts. 

Walter  de  Tantonia,  his  successor,  died  eleven  days 
after  he  was  consecrated  abbot.    He  was  previously  prior. 

He  made  the  "pulpitiim  (or  choir  screen)  of  the  church, 
with  ten  images,  and  set  up  the  great  rood  with  the  cru- 
cifix, Mary  and  John^"  This  must  have  been  done  when 
he  was  prior,  and  probably  before  the  dedication,  as  neces- 
sary for  the  completion  of  the  fittings  of  the  church. 
Leland  notes  that  he  was  buried  in  the  transept  before 
the  crucifix,"  that  is  to  say,  in  front  of  his  work,  as  was 
very  usual. 

AD  1322  "^^^  ^^^^  abbot,  Adam  de  Sodbury,  '^vaulted 
to  1335-  nearly  the  whole  of  the  nave,  and  ornamented  it 

1  p.  17,  above.  chapel.  He  mistook  them  for  Arthur's 

2  Part  of  them  were  standing  in  pyramids  (or  stone  crosses,  as  they 
Whitaker'stime(  1 777),  on  the  edge  of  are  now  termed),  Life  of  St  Neot, 
the  burial-ground,  a  few  feet  from  p.  35.  1809. 

the  north-west  angle  of  St  Joseph's  J.  Glaston,  250. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


31 


with  splendid  painting."  He  was  buried  in  the  nave, 
also  under  his  work.  ^'  He  gave  the  great  clock,  which 
was  remarkable  for  its  processions  and  spectacles  V  after 
the  manner  of  that  period.  Leland  records  the  po- 
sition of  the  clock,  at  the  south  part  of  the  transept,  and 
the  inscription  on  it :  Petrus  Lightfote,  monachus,  fecit 
hoc  opus,"  which  gives  the  maker's  name.  The  clock 
itself,  or  rather  great  part  of  its  automatic  mechanism, 
is  in  Wells  cathedral  to  this  day,  whither  it  was  trans- 
ferred after  the  fall  of  Glastonbury;  this  automatic 
clock  is  the  oldest  on  record  as  a  clock,  self-striking 
hours  with  a  count  wheel,  the  next  being  Walingford  s, 
at  St  Alban's,  1326  to  1334,  and  the  next  the  Horloge 
du  Palais  at  Paris,  made  by  a  German,  Henri  de  Vic, 
in  1370. 

This  abbot  also  gave  organs  of  wondrous  magnitude 
and  endowed  the  Lady  chapel  with  four  additional  priests, 
of  which  more  below.  He  also  decorated  the  high  altar 
with  an  image  of  the  Virgin  in  a  tabernacle  of  the 
highest  workmanship  ^ 

The  eastern  part  of  the  church,  according  to  this 
history,  appears  to  have  been  now  completed  for  service, 
but  was  soon  subjected  to  alterations  and  improvements, 
for  the  record  of  which  we  are  indebted  to  Leland  alone, 
for  although  John  Glaston's  Chronicle  is  continued  down 
to  the  year  1493,  it  contains  no  allusions  to  the  works  in 
question. 

\^  Leland  says,  writing  in  Latin,  that  Abbot 

to  1374-  "Walter  Monington,  buried  in  the  choir,  made  the 
vault  of  the  choir  and  presbytery,  and  enlarged  the 


1  "  Magnum  horologmm  processio- 
nibus  et  spectaculis  insigiiitum  et 
organa  mirse  magnitudinis  in  eadem 
(Bcclesia)  constmxit."  J.  Glaston, 
263. 


2  Mr  Warner  (xciv.)  refers  to  this 
passage  as  authority  for  asserting  that 
he  built  the  Lady  chapel  90  feet  long 
at  the  east  end  of  the  church. 


32 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


length  of  the  presbytery  by  two  archest  This  is 
another  example  of  a  benefactor  buried  in  the  place  of 
his  work. 

In  a  subsequent  page  we  find— ^'  There  be  vj  goodly 
windows  in  the  top  of  eche  side  of  the  Est  part  of  the 
Chirch.  There  were  4  of  old  Time  sins  2  addid  and 
the  Presbyterie  enlonggid  by  Gualter  Monington  Ab- 
bate."  William  of  Worcester  confirms  this,  by  a  note 
that  '^in  each  part  of  the  choir  are  six  great  high  win- 
dows, glazed... and  in  each  side  of  the  aisles  of  the 
choir  8  windows." 

A.D.  1493  No  other  works  about  the  church  are  men- 
to  1524.  tioned  till  we  pass  over  more  than  a  century,  to 
Abbot  Richard  Beere.  Leland's  visit  to  this  abbey  was 
made,  as  he  tells  us^^  in  the  time  of  Beere's  successor, 
Richard  Whyting,  the  last  abbot,  and  he  records  his 
works  in  the  following  memoranda : 

"Abbate  Beere  buildid  Edgares  Chapel  at  the  Est 
End  of  the  Chirch  but  Abbate  Whiting  performed  sum 
part  of  it. 

"  Bere  Archid  on  bothe  sides  the  Est  part  of  the 
Church  that  began  to  cast  out. 

^'  Bere  made  the  Volte  o  the  Steple  in  the  Transepto 
and  under  2  Arches  like  S.  Andres  Crosse  els  it  had 
fallen. 

Bere  made  a  rich  Altare  of  Sylver  and  Gilt  and  set 
it  afore  the  High  Altare. 

Bere  cumming  from  his  Embassadrie  out  of  Italie 
made  a  Chapelle  of  our  Lady  de  Loretta  joining  to  the 
north  side  of  the  Body  of  the  church. 

He  made  the  Chapelle  of  the  Sepulcher  in  the  South 

1  These  are  the  words  of  the  ori-  et  aiixit  loiigit.  Presbyterii  2.  Arcu- 

ginal  Latin,  vide  Leland's  Itinerary,  bus." 

Vol.  III.  fol.  85,  &c.:   "Gualterus         ^  yj^jg  ^is  account  of  the  discovery 

Monington  in  Choro  Abbas  Glaston.  of  the  MS.  of  Melkin  in  the  library  at 

Hie  fecit  Voltam  Chori  et  Presbyterii  Glastonbury,  p.  16,  above. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


33 


End  Navis  Eccl.  whereby  he  is  buried  suh  piano  mar- 
more  yn  the  South  Isle  of  the  Bodies  of  the  Church\" 

Thus  ends  the  recorded  history  of  the  building  of  the 
great  church.  It  was  rich  in  monuments  and  saints.  In 
the  presbytery  the  monument  of  King  Arthur  and  his 
queen  was  placed  in  front  of  the  high  altar,  with  King 
Edmund  the  Elder  on  the  north  side,  and  Edmund 
Ironside  on  the  south,  as  founders  of  the  church.  King 
Edgar,  another  founder,  had  a  chapel  allotted  to  him, 
apparently  at  the  east  end,  for  he  was  a  saint,  and  his 
bones  were  translated  to  a  shrine. 

The  dedications  of  the  chapels  have  been  lost,  but  we 
may  suppose  that  they  were  appropriated  to  St  Dunstan, 
St  Patrick,  St  Benignus,  St  Gildas,  and  the  other  saints, 
to  whose  entire  bodies  the  history  of  the  abbey  lays  claim. 

The  monuments  of  benefactors  to  the  works  of  build- 
ing and  ornamentation  are  remarkable,  as  I  have  en- 
deavoured to  shew,  for  the  numerous  examples  they 
present  of  being  placed  in  contiguity  with  the  works 
themselves. 

^  Leland  also  found  a  lectern  of  operis  ex  dono  Eichardi  Bere,  Abbatis 
his  gift  in  the  choir,  "  Lectura  antiqui  Glaston." 


3 


CHAPTER  IV. 


STRUCTURAL  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  GREAT 

CHURCH. 


Having  now  collected  all  the  documentary  information 
that  belongs  to  the  construction  and  alteration  of  the 
great  church,  I  will  proceed  to  apply  it  in  illustration  of 
the  plan  and  arrangement  of  the  building  itself,  of  which 
unfortunately  so  few  fragments  remain.  When  the 
chronicler  Domerham  speaks  of  the  fire,  he  declares  that 
it  consumed  the  whole  monastery  and  the  church, 
reducing  them  to  a  heap  of  ashes.  This  expression  is 
to  be  understood  as  applying  to  the  burning  of  the  roofs 
and  wood-work  of  the  buildings,  and  the  general  deso- 
lation which  an  extensive  conflagration  produces,  the 
stone-walls  escaping  either  unhurt  or  suffering  only  to  a 
certain  extent  from  calcination.  For  in  other  cases  where 
a  church  and  all  its  monastic  offices  are  said  to  have  been 
utterly  consumed,  as  at  Worcester^  in  1202,  abundant 
remains  exist  of  Norman  work  to  shew  that  the  fire  did 
not  essentially  damage  the  walls.  And  in  this  example 
at  Glastonbury  it  is  simply  said  that  when  the  king's 
camerarius  came  down  after  the  fire  he  "  repaired  all  the 
offices."  We  hear  no  more  of  them  till  the  fourteenth 
century,  when  the  cloister  and  its  chapter-house,  dormi- 

^  Vide  my  Arch.  Hist,  of  Worcester^  ATchceological  Journal,  Vol.  xx. 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY  OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY.  35 


tory,  refectory,  &c.  were  rebuilt.  But  the  "  cliurcli,"  under 
which  term  the  vetusta  ecclesia  and  major  ecclesia  are 
included,  was  dealt  with  in  a  manner  due  to  royal 
devotion  and  magnificence.  We  have  seen  that  the 
vetusta  ecclesia  was  built  from  the  foundations  on  its  old 
site,  complete,  and  in  the  richest  and  most  substantial 
style  of  that  time.  But  the  great  church  was  laid  out, 
apparently,  without  the  least  respect  to  the  plan  of  the 
old  one,  excepting,  perhaps,  its  western  boundary,  and 
on  the  highest  scale  of  magnitude. 

"We  have  not  a  fragment  remaining  to  shew  the 
extent  of  the  first  Norman  church,  and  may  therefore 
dismiss  it  altogether,  conjecturing  only  that  part  of  its 
nave  was  possibly  roofed  in  and  fitted  up  for  the  use  of 
the  monks  during  the  construction  of  the  new  church^, 
which,  of  course,  was  commenced  at  the  east  end  and 
carried  on  westward,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  was  not 
dedicated  till  after  1303,  119  years  after  its  commence- 
ment. As  the  plan  shews,  it  was  a  cruciform  church, 
square  ended,  the  nave  contained  ten  severies,  the  eastern 
arm  of  the  cross  four  severies,  at  first,  augmented  to  six 
in  the  latter  half  of  the  fourteenth  century.  The  tran- 
septs had  three  severies  each,  two  of  which  had  chapels 
projecting  eastward,  and  the  third  opened  to  the  aisle  of 
the  choir  as  usual.  But  these  chapels  have  the  pecu- 
liarity, that  they  consist  of  two  compartments  each,  or  in 
other  words,  as  the  plan  will  shew,  that  the  transept  has 
an  eastern  aisle  and  chapels  of  one  compartment  beyond 
that. 

It  may  be  remarked  that  the  mother  church  of  Wells, 
set  out  after  the  above  was  commenced,  has  the  same 
number  of  severies  in  the  nave  and  transepts.  But  the 
eastern  arm  had  but  three,  augmented  to  six,  in  the  first 

1  Domerham  has  informed  us  that  Robert's  chapel  uumediately  after  the 
the  monks  took  refuge  in  Abbot    fire  (vide  p.  1 1,  above). 

3—2 


86 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


half  of  the  fourteenth  century,  which,  perhaps,  induced 
the  Glastonians  to  enlarge  their  own  choir  about  the 
same  time.  Wells,  however,  has  western  aisles  to  the 
transepts,  but  no  chapels  projecting  from  their  eastern 
aisles. 

There  is  no  evidence  to  shew  whether  or  no  this 
church  had  western  towers.  It  is  not  probable  that 
these  members  were  omitted.  "Worcester  mentions  an 
entrance  porch  of  large  dimensions \  which  I  imagine 
was  placed  in  a  similar  position  to  that  of  Wells,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  nave,  and  therefore  opposite  to  the 
principal  gate  of  the  abbey,  which  Hollar  places  on  the 
north  of  the  cemetery  of  the  laity,  and  at  the  end  of 
a  short  lane  opening  from  the  great  street  at  a  point 
facing  the  parish  church  of  St  John.  A  small  chapel 
through  which  was  the  passage  to  the  "  gazophylacium  " 
or  almery,  is  mentioned  as  the  place  where  the  remains 
of  King  Arthur  were  deposited  at  first. 

Only  two  severies  remain  to  shew  us  a  specimen  of 
the  design  of  the  central  parts  of  this  great  church. 
These  are  on  the  east  side  of  the  transepts,  both  in  similar 
but  opposite  positions,  and  each  including  one  of  the  tower 
piers.  Not  one  of  the  ordinary  piers  remains  either  in 
nave  or  choir.  But  the  general  plan  of  the  latter  piers 
can  be  obtained  by  inference  from  the  great  tower  pier 
and  from  the  north-west  respond  of  the  nave.  The 
transept  severy  has  in  its  lower  story  the  pier  arch 
which  gives  entrance  to  the  end  of  the  side  aisle.  Above 
is  a  triforium  and  a  clerestory;  the  clerestory  has  one 

^  "Porticus  introitus  ad  magnam  on  the  ruin  of  the  eastern  tower 

ecclesiam ;  continet  ejus  longitudo  vi-  piers,  shew  that  the  triforium  of  the 

dehcet  1 5  virgas  et  latitude  8  virgas."  choir  was  lower  than  in  the  transept, 

The  great  thickness  of  the  side-  and    consequently    the  clerestory 

aisle  walls  indicates  a  high  trifo-  higher.    Wells  also  has  thick  side- 

rium,  and  the  roof  lines  that  remain  aisle  walls. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY.  37 

large  window,  and  in  front  of  it  the  usual  triple  arcade, 
consisting  of  a  high,  wide,  stilted  pointed  arch,  with  a 
low  narrow  pointed  one  on  each  side.  The  gallery  passage 
passes  between  the  window  and  arcade  as  usual.  But 
the  shafts  which  commonly  support  this  arcade  are  not 
employed.    The  arch  moldings  here  are  continuous. 

The  fragment  of  the  south  side-aisle  wall  of  the  choir, 
which  is  still  standing,  is  shewn  in  elevation,  fig.  2,  and 
its  plan  in  fig.  i  from  X  to  F.  In  the  elevation  the 
numerals  correspond  to  those  in  the  plan.  These 
drawings  shew  that  the  aisle  included  eight  severies 
from  the  tower  pier  A  at  the  west  end  to  the  east  wall 
at  G.  The  first  severy  (i,  2,  fig.  2)  reckoning  from  the 
west,  contains  a  pier  arch  opening  to  the  transept  chapels 
H,  I  (fig.  i),  which  were  possibly  employed  as  vestries 
on  this  side  of  the  church.  The  second  contains  a  window, 
which  is  skewed  aside  to  avoid  the  chapel  on  the  south 
of  it,  as  the  plan  shews. 

The  next  four  severies,  which  extend  to  i),  have  a 
window  each.  The  last  two  from  D  to  F  are  separated 
from  the  former  by  two  respond  piers  at  D,  very  near 
together  (7,  8  in  the  elevation),  indicating  that  opposite 
to  them  was  a  thick  terminating  east  wall  Fe,  the  gable 
of  the  choir.  Such  a  pair,  for  example,  occur  at  Sher- 
borne in  the  same  position. 

The  last  two  severies  hke  the  others  are  provided 
with  windows,  but  the  wall  is  thinner,  and  manifestly 
belongs  to  a  later  style.  Yet  the  windows  themselves 
are  exactly  the  same  as  those  of  the  earher  wall  CX. 
Turning  to  the  elevation  we  find  that  the  responds 
7,  8,  9  differ  from  the  earlier  ones  i  to  5.  All  of  them 
consist  of  a  triple  group  of  shafts,  but  the  earher  shafts 
are  plain  cylinders,  the  three  later  have  a  sharp  vertical 
edge  or  keel  upon  them  and  their  bases  have  high  cylin- 
drical plinths  with  the  same  keel.    But  the  earher  shafts 


38 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


I  to  5  have  their  bases  set  upon  thin  semi-octagon  plinths 
which  rest  on  the  bench  table,  like  those  of  the  side-aisle 
wall  of  the  nave  and  Norman  chapel. 

The  later  bases  are  found  along  the  east  wall  Ff 
(fig.  i).  The  capitals  of  the  responds  from  i  to  7  (fig.  2) 
have  the  semi-octagon  abacus  with  foliage  forming  one 
bushy  capital  common  to  the  three  shafts  of  the  triple 
group  below  it,  although  the  neck  mold  follows  the  plan 
of  the  shafts. 

But  the  capitals  of  8,  9  have  the  abacus  composed 
of  separate  portions  appropriated  to  the  three  shafts,  so 
that  the  foliage  and  abacus  combine  with  the  neck  mold 
in  representing  a  group  of  three  united  capitals.  The 
moldings  of  the  abacus  are  also  much  later  in  style. 

The  wall  from  2  to  6  has  a  bench  table,  upon  which 
the  bases  of  the  responds  stand,  but  this  table  extends 
only  eight  or  nine  feet  beyond  6  and  is  then  cut  ofi*. 

Now  these  appearances  are  quite  consistent  with  the 
written  history,  which  tells  us  that  Abbot  Monington 
elongated  the  choir.  The  choir  had  four  high  windows 
at  first,"  and,  consequently,  four  pier  arches  below,  which 
(vide  plan)  extended  from  A  to  B.  Bh  is  therefore  the 
place  of  the  original  high  east  gable  of  the  choir. 

But  as  the  original  side-aisle  wall  extends  two  severies 
farther  to  it  is  plain  that  this  old  choir,  like  those  of 
all  the  great  churches  of  this  period,  had  the  side  aisle 
continued  behind  the  eastern  gable,  so  as  to  connect  the 
north  and  south  aisles  into  a  procession  path,  and  that 
there  were  chapels  projecting  from  this  procession  path 
eastward.  The  procession  aisle  extended  from  C  to  c, 
and  the  line  Dd  is  the  position  of  the  east  wall  of  the 
chapels,  so  that  the  last  severy  (6,  7,  fig.  2)  of  the  side 
wall  was  the  side  of  the  south  chapel. 

"When  Monington  added  two  arches  {B  to  fig.  i) 
on  each  side  to  the  length  of  the  choir  his  new  eastern 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


39 


gable  was  placed  at  Ee,  and  the  old  side  aisle  and  chapel 
wall  CD  served  the  purpose  of  a  side-aisle  wall  to  his 
new  pier  arches. 

But  beyond  these  he  erected  a  new  procession  path 
and  chapels  in  the  space  DdfF,  apparently  exactly  on  the 
same  plan  as  those  he  had  pulled  down  to  make  room 
for  the  extension  of  the  presbytery. 

It  must  be  observed  in  fig.  2,  that  the  capitals  of  all 
the  responds  from  i  to  5  are  at  the  same  level,  and  that 
those  from  6  to  9  (and  of  course  10,  which  has  disap- 
peared in  ruin)  are  three  feet  higher. 

The  change  of  elevation  is  made  at  5.  The  capital  of 
every  one  of  the  responds  receives  on  its  abacus  three 
separate  vault  ribs  of  the  side-aisle  vaults;  namely,  one 
transverse  rib  in  the  centre  and  one  diagonal  rib  on  each 
side  of  it.  The  wall  ribs  of  the  vaults  of  Glastonbury 
pass  down  from  the  apex  of  the  wall  continuously,  until 
they  reach  the  string  mold  under  the  windows,  and  there 
the  wall  rib  mitres  like  a  picture-frame  and  runs  horizon- 
tally above  it. 

At  the  change  of  elevation  on  the  abacus  of  5  a  small 
shaft  is  provided  on  the  east  side  of  the  transverse  rib, 
with  a  small  capital  which  receives  the  diagonal  rib  of 
the  compartment  5,  6.  The  molding  of  this  little  shaft 
is  of  the  same  section  as  the  rib\ 

According  to  the  explanation  I  have  given,  the  wall 
from  I  to  5  was  opposite  to  the  oldest  pier  arches. 
The  severy  5,  6  was  the  south  end  of  the  procession 
path,  and  6,  7  part  of  the  side  wall  of  a  chapel.  It 
must  be  supposed  therefore  that  this  increase  of  eleva- 
tion in  the  shafts  was  intended  to  give  greater  loftiness 


1  In  the  compartment  i,  2,  the 
wall  rib  after  descending,  like  the 
others  to  the  level  of  the  window  sill, 


again  rises  to  pass  over  the  pier  arch, 
as  the  drawing  shews. 


40 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


of  character  to  the  chapels,  and  to  the  procession  path 
which  led  to  and  extended  in  front  of  them. 

No  change  takes  place  in  the  height  of  the  arches, 
the  apexes  are  exactly  at  the  same  level  from  one  end 
to  the  other  of  the  series  in  the  elevation  (fig.  2).  Con- 
sequently the  ridges  of  the  side-aisle  vaults  were  of  the 
same  elevation  throughout  the  side  aisles. 

The  only  remains  of  the  east  wall  Ff  (fig.  i)  of  the 
chapels  are  two  fragments,  three  or  four  feet  high,  shewn 
by  the  dark  shade  upon  the  plan.  One  of  these  retains 
(at  Gu)  a  portion  of  the  eastern  part  of  one  of  the  dividing 
walls  of  the  chapels,  shewing  its  parallel  face  above  the 
string  course,  exactly  in  the  manner  of  the  dividing  wall 
between  the  chapels  L  of  the  north  transept,  and  of 
the  narrow  space  between  the  two  respond  piers  at  D. 

There  are  distinct  traces  of  the  attachment  of  altars 
to  the  wall  at  the  places  marked  with  + . 

These  evidences  are  sufficient  to  shew  that  a  series  of 
chapels  existed  at  the  east  end  of  the  church,  similar  to 
those  at  X,  K,  I,  H,  on  the  east  sides  of  the  transepts. 

The  only  doubtful  point  to  be  decided  is  whether  the 
number  of  chapels  was  four  or  five,  or  in  other  words, 
whether  two  or  three  chapels  were  placed  between  G 
and  g.   I  have  introduced  three  for  the  following  reasons. 

It  happens  that  in  Wild's  plan  of  the  ruins  made  in 
181 3,  he  has  inserted  at  %o  and  x  'Hhe  bases  of  two 
pillars  of  singular  form  and  situation,  probably  part  of 
the  crypt,"  as  he  says^ 

These  pillars,  evidently  exposed  at  the  time  of  his 
visit,  consist  of  a  respond,  with  a  portion  of  wall  project- 
ing eastward,  and  evidently  the  same  as  the  partition 
walls  of  the  transept  chapels  K,  Z,  or  as  the  partition  wall 
Gu,  when  it  was  complete. 

They  stand  also  exactly  in  the  line  opposite  to  the 

*  Britton's  Arch.  Antiquities^  Vol.  iv.  p.  195. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


41 


respond  t,  or  x  of  my  plan.  I  have  no  doubt  that  these 
were  the  foundations  of  the  separating  walls,  and  that 
they  therefore  shew  the  number  of  chapels  between 
G  and  g  to  have  been  three. 

•   But  William  of  Worcester,  describing  the  arrange- 
ments to  the  east  of  the  altar  of  Glastonbury  writes, 
In  orientali  parte  altar  is  Glastonie.   Spacium  de  le  rere- 
des  ex  parte  orientali  magne  altaris  sunt  5  columpnse  seria- 
tim et  inter  quamlibet  columpnam  est  capella  cum  altare. 

Et  spacium  capellae  in  longitudine  continet  5  virgas, 
Et  spacium  interceptum  inter  capellas  et  le  reredes  con- 
tinet similiter  5  virgas." 

The  reredos  manifestly  was  erected  against  the  piers 
of  the  eastern  gable  wall  Ee;  and  he,  describing  the 
arrangement  of  the  space  behind  it,  tells  us  that  there 
are  five  columns  in  a  row,  and  alternating  with  each 
column  is  a  chapel  with  an  altar." 

The  columns  must  be  the  six  responds  t,  u,  iv,  &c., 
and  the  passage  as  written  would  give  five  responds 
and  four  chapels  between  them. 

But  the  position  of  the  altar  between  u  and  w  of  my 
plan,  and  the  foundations  preserved  in  Wild's  plan, 
appear  so  strongly  to  prove  that  there  were  five  chapels, 
that  I  am  led  to  the  conclusion  that  Worcester  has  fallen 
into  a  mistake  which  he  is  very  apt  to  commit,  namely, 
when  counting  the  number  of  arches  in  an  arcade,  to  set 
down  the  pillars  as  equal  in  number  with  the  arches. 

According  to  my  own  measurements,  the  width  of 
the  chapels  t,  u  and  y,  z,  at  the  end  of  the  aisles,  and 
taken  between  the  walls,  is  14  feet  6  inches\  The  dis- 
tance from  the  face  of  the  partition  y  to  that  of  u  is 

1  The  dimensions  which  Worcester  with  the  actual  measure,  as  nearly 

gives  for  the  length  of  the  chapels,  as  usual ;  for  the  length  from  the 

5  yards,  and  5  yards  for  the  breadth  corner  at  F  to  the  respond  at  D  is 

of  aisle  behind  the  reredos,  agree  31ft.  3  in. 


42 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


38  feet  10  inches.  The  thickness  of  the  partition  walls 
is  2  feet  10  inches.  This  distance  will  allow  of  a  central 
chapel  14  feet  in  breadth,  and  of  two  lateral  chapels  of 
9  feet  7  inches  in  breadths 

It  is  probable  that,  as  at  Wells,  the  choir  gable  was 
sustained  by  three  equal  pier  arches,  and  the  vault  ribs 
springing  from  these  to  the  three  unequal  arches  that 
opened  to  the  chapels  would  produce  an  effect  of  intri- 
cacy of  the  same  kind. 

Unfortunately  the  practice  in  respect  to  these  ruins 
until  the  beginning  of  this  century  and  later  was  always 
to  remove  not  merely  the  wrought  stones,  but  also  to 
eradicate  the  foundations.  And  although  the  remains 
have  been  for  many  years  protected  from  this  kind  of 
destruction,  there  is  no  hope  left  of  recovering  any 
details  of  plan  by  excavations.  Happily  for  the  inte- 
rests of  archaeology  the  present  proprietor  Mr  Austin  is 
an  ardent  admirer  of  these  magnificent  and  beautiful 
fragments  of  antiquity,  and  spares  no  pains  to  preserve 
them  from  further  mutilation. 

A  strong  double  buttress  is  placed  on  the  south  side 
of  the  wall  at  and  of  course  a  similar  one  was  on 
the  north  at  d.  They  were  employed  to  receive  flying 
buttresses  from  the  great  gable  Ee  which  terminated  the 
choir.  Such  a  pair  of  flying  buttresses  are  in  the  same 
position  at  Winchester,  with  long  buttresses  below,  and 
serve  to  resist  the  thrust  of  the  great  arched  window  of 
the  gable. 

Two  other  buttresses  are  at  G  and  at  the  east  end 
of  Glastonbury,  and  received  flying  buttresses  from  the 
east  ends  of  the  clerestory  at  right  angles  to  the  former 

^  In  Borromeo's  rules  the  breadth  If  the  space  Gg  at  the  east  end  of  the 

of  the  side  chapels  of  naves  are  said  choir  were  divided  into  two  chapels, 

to  be  from  9  ft,  7  in.  to  1 5  ft.  The  width  their  width  would  be  1 8  ft. 
of  the  transept  chapels  at  ^is  16  ft. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


43 


pair.  A  similar  pair  may  also  be  seen  at  the  end  of 
Winchester  choir.  Leland's  note,,  which  tells  us  that 
Abbot  Bere  arched  on  both  sides  the  east  part  of  the 
church  that  began  to  cast  out  or  lean  outwards,  appa- 
rently refers  to  these  buttresses. 

This  abbot  also  introduced  arches  under  the  great 
tower  arches  to  prevent  them  from  giving  way.  The 
term  St  Andrew's  Cross,  which  Leland  applies  to  them, 
shews  that  they  were  like  those  at  Wells  in  the  same 
position  under  the  tower  arches;  consisting  namely  of 
a  low  pointed  arch  with  an  inverted  arch  above,  form- 
ing a  figure  at  the  meeting  of  their  apices  resembling 
the  cross  of  St  Andrew. 

As  Bere  is  also  said  to  have  built  Edgar's  chapel  at 
the  east  end  of  the  church,  it  is  probable  that  this 
chapel  was  one  of  those  that  we  are  considering,  and 
that  Bere  fitted  it  up,  and  completed  it. 

The  complete  eradication  of  the  east  wall  of  the 
church  in  the  centre  may  be  accounted  for  by  supposing 
that  the  central  chapel  projected  eastward,  as  I  have 
shewn  in  the  plan,  and  that  this  chapel  was  Edgars; 
for  if  it  had  been  only  one  of  the  ordinary  chapels,  it 
would  not  have  been  worth  mentioning  as  a  distinct 
building. 

Fragments  of  the  respond,  pier  arch,  and  triforium, 
as  well  as  the  entire  lower  part  of  the  jamb  of  a  cleres- 
tory window,  still  adhere  to  the  eastern  faces  of  the 
tower  pier,  especially  the  southern  one.  From  these  it 
appears  that  a  Perpendicular  facing  had  been  given  by 
Monington  to  the  old  triforium  and  clerestory  when  he 
elongated  the  choir.  This  consists  simply  of  tiers  of 
panelHng,  beginning  from  the  spandrels  of  the  pier 
arches. 

As  far  as  I  was  able  to  observe,  the  string  mold  of 
the  choir  windows  within  is  at  the  same  level  as  that  of 


44 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


the  nave.  But  the  stone  bench  of  the  choir  is  7  feet 
below  that  string,  and  that  of  the  nave  10  feet  7  inches. 
Thus  the  pavement  of  the  side  aisle  of  the  choir  is  3  feet 
7  inches  above  that  of  the  nave.  The  nave  is  6  feet  above 
the  Early  English  galilee,  which  height  is  divided  into 
13  steps,  at  5^  inches  to  each  step. 

A  tolerably  level  grass-plot  now  occupies  the  eastern 
ruin,  extending  beyond  the  tower  arch.  The  nave  is 
occupied  by  another  at  a  lower  level.  The  boundary  of 
the  two  is  a  well-defined  slope,  like  the  edge  of  a  terrace, 
with  rustic  steps  in  the  middle,  built  up  of  the  voussoirs 
of  the  crypt  of  St  Joseph's  chapel.  This  terrace  slope  is 
placed  on  the  line  hh  in  the  plan.  It  may  be  inferred 
that  the  transept  pavement  was  all  on  the  higher  level 
when  the  church  was  complete. 

CoUinson,  the  historian  of  Somersetshire,  writes^,  that 
''under  the  body  of  the  church  there  were  three  large 
vaults,  supported  by  strong  massive  pillars,  in  which  were 
entombed  many  corpses  of  the  most  illustrious  persons." 
By  the  hody  of  a  church  is  generally  understood  the  nave. 
But  it  is  possible  that  Collinson  did  not  use  the  word 
strictly  in  that  sense.  These  vaults  belonged,  of  course, 
to  a  crypt,  the  position  and  history  of  which  cannot  be 
inferred  from  so  meagre  a  notice.  This  crypt  may  either 
have  been  a  relic  of  the  Norman  church,  or  a  part  of 
King  Henry's  church,  or  a  late  construction,  like  that 
under  the  Lady  chapel.  The  windows  of  the  side  aisles 
of  the  choir  are  of  the  pointed  Norman  type  throughout. 
Their  escoinson  arches  within  are  ornamented  with  zigzag 
work  of  the  late  intricate  kind,  in  which  straight  lines 
alternate  with  the  angles,  thus  :  — y  —  y — .  These  occur 
in  the  north  porch  of  Wells  Cathedral.  In  the  south 
w^all  of  the  presbytery  aisle  three  different  patterns  of  this 
class,  distributed  in  successive  order,  are  used  in  the  six 

^  Vol.  II.  p.  259. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


45 


remaining  window  heads.  Unfortunately,  tlie  eastern- 
most is  utterly  ruined. 

To  judge  from  the  remains  of  the  transept  and  its 
chapels,  zigzag  was  profusely  given  to  the  pier  arches, 
and  even  to  the  triforium  of  these  portions  of  the  church. 

Four  of  the  side-aisle  windows  of  the  nave  remain  on 
the  south  side  at  iV,  O,  P,  Q,  in  the  plan.  The  escoinson 
arches  of  these  windows  are  not  pointed  as  in  the  choir, 
but  are  roundheaded,  like  those  of  St  Joseph's  chapel; 
and  the  zigzag  work  is  only  given  to  the  alternate  ones, 
as  0  and  Q;  the  others  have  plain  moldings.  Only  half 
of  the  wall  of  the  compartment  Q  remains,  and  this  re- 
tains the  jamb  of  the  cloister  door-way  below.  The  vault 
shaft  between  P  and  Q  has  a  springing  stone  with  the 
branching  ends  of  vault  ribs  of  a  Decorated  pattern, 
shewing  that  the  five  compartments  from  P  westward 
were  vaulted  at  a  later  period  than  the  other  five.  This 
is  explained  by  the  chronicle  which  states  that 
A^D.  1322—  ^Y^^  Abbot  Adam  de  Sodbury  vaulted  the  greater 
'part  of  the  nave\  This  was  after  the  dedi- 
cation of  1303. 

The  windows  of  this  wall  opened  above  the  cloister 
roof,  their  sills  are  consequently  raised  higher  than  those 
of  the  choir,  and  the  outer  archheads  which  received  the 
glass  are  raised  much  higher  than  the  crown  of  the  inner 
or  escoinson  arches,  and  are  of  the  pointed  form.  This 
compensates  for  the  higher  window  sills  by  enabling  the 
light  to  slant  downwards  to  the  roundheaded  archheads 
w^ithin. 

Although  the  nave,  as  far  as  the  fragments  shew,  was 
completed  with  the  same  details  as  the  east  end  of  the 


^  Page  30,  above.  The  Norman 
cloister  was  rebuilt  by  Abbot  Chinok 
(1374  to  1420),  and  the  toothings  of 


the  flying  buttresses  that  spanned 
the  roof  of  the  cloister  still  remain. 


46     ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY  OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


church,  the  case  is  different  with  the  west  front,  of  which 
the  central  door,  and  a  portion  of  the  walls,  remain.  This 
is  in  fully  developed  Early  English  of  its  later  character, 
and  thus  far  Wells  and  Glastonbury  resemble  each  other ; 
for,  as  I  have  shewn^,  Wells  nave  was  carried  on  in  the 
original  style  westward  to  the  end,  although  that  style 
was  in  disuse  elsewhere.  But  the  west  front  was  built 
in  connexion  with  it,  in  the  Early  English  of  the  period 
of  its  erection. 

At  Glastonbury,  the  west  end  was  also  provided 
with  a  galilee  in  the  style  of  this  front,  by  which  the 
Norman  Lady  chapel  was  united  to  the  great  church. 

Thus,  the  isolated  buildings  which  were  commenced 
at  the  west  end  by  the  Norman  chapel,  and  then  abruptly 
recommenced  at  the  east  end  of  the  great  church,  were 
then  carried  on  westward,  until  at  its  junction  with  the 
first  work,  the  late  style  was  brought  into  contact  and 
contrast  with  the  first  style. 

1  In  a  Lecture  given  at  Wells  to  shire  Archaeological  Society,  of  which 
the  Archaeological  Institute  in  185 1,  an  abstract  is  given  in  their  Volume 
and  later  in  1863  to  the  Somerset-    for  that  year. 


CHAPTEE  V. 
ST  Joseph's  chapel. 


I  WILL  now  return  to  the  Norman  chapel  and  the  Early 
English  addition  by  which  it  was  united  to  the  great 
church,  which  collectively  bear  the  name  of  St  Joseph's 
chapel ;  and  will  endeavour  to  describe  the  architectural 
character  of  these  two  buildings  and  their  purposes,  as 
well  as  the  changes  of  arrangement  that  were  made  in  them 
in  course  of  time;  and  lastly,  the  structural  history  of  the 
crypt.  I  have  reserved  these  descriptions  for  the  conclu- 
sion of  this  Architectural  History,  because,  notwithstand- 
ing that  the  Norman  chapel  was  built  before  the  great 
church,  the  Early  English  addition  and  the  crypt  followed 
the  completion,  or  was  carried  on  simultaneously  with  the 
changes  of  the  church,  and,  consequently,  their  histories 
should  naturally  be  placed  after  the  buildings  of  the 
church  have  been  thoroughly  explained. 

The  Norman  chapel  as  it  was  first  built  in  1184  was 
an  isolated  rectangular  edifice  with  a  turret  at  each  angle, 
and  it  remained  isolated  until  the  Early  EngHsh  portion 
was  built,  by  which  it  became  connected  with  the  west 
front  about  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century.  Subse- 
quently the  east  Norman  wall  was  pierced  by  a  large  arch, 
the  flat  piers  or  pilasters  of  which  remain,  and  shew  its 
exact  position. 

The  style  of  decoration  h  florid,  and  the  workman- 


48 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


ship  admirable,  fully  justifying  the  assertion  of  the  chroni- 
cler that  it  was  built  of  squared  stones  of  the  most 
beautiful  work  and  no  possible  ornament  omitted^" 

Its  plan,  apparently  simple  and  regular,  consisting  of 
four  similar  severies,  presents  upon  close  examination 
some  singular  irregularities,  which  we  will  enquire  into 
presently. 

Rich  interlacing  arcades  with  Purbeck  shafts,  ornament 
the  space  beneath  the  windows  within  and  without.  Pur- 
beck vault  shafts  in  quadruple  groups  carried  the  vault 
ribs.  Their  plinths  rest  on  semi-octagon  blocks  or  foot- 
stalls,  which  project  from  the  face  of  the  stone  bench. 

Two  richly  carved  Norman  doorways  occupy  the  north 
and  south  walls  of  the  second  severy  from  the  west. 

The  south  door,  which  opens  to  the  ancient  cemetery 
of  the  monks,  the  reputed  site  of  the  graves  of  King 
Arthur  and  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  and  also  to  the  side 
of  the  church  on  which  the  monastery  stands,  w^as  pro- 
bably employed  by  the  priests,  and  also  for  introducing 
visitors  and  devotees  into  that  venerated  ground;  while 
the  north  door,  opening  into  the  ordinary  cemetery  of 
the  laity,  was  intended  for  the  people.  The  latter 
cemetery  was  entered  by  the  great  north  gateway,  which 
opened  toward  the  High  street  of  the  town. 

There  is  another  small,  ornamented  door  on  the  south 
side  in  the  eastern  compartment;  but  this  was  introduced, 
as  its  decorations  shew,  in  the  fifteenth  century,  after 
the  chapel  had  been  elongated,  and  will  be  described 
below. 

Four  roundheaded  Norman  windows  on  each  side, 
richly  molded,  give  light  to  the  chapel,  in  addition  to 
a  triple  window  at  the  west  end.  Possibly  there  was 
a  similar  one  in  the  east  wall. 


^  See  page  1 2  above. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


49 


The  wall  ribs  and  transverse  ribs  of  the  vault  are 
pointed  arches,  and  the  latter  have  rich  complex  zigzag 
ornaments;  but  the  diagonal  and  wall  ribs  have  plain 
moldings.  The  capitals  throughout  are  foliaged,  and  the 
square  or  octagonal  abacus  employed.  No  example  of 
the  round  abacus  occurs  in  this  Norman  chapel,  but  it  is 
used  in  the  Early  English  portion  and  in  the  west  front 
of  the  church. 

The  buttresses  have  a  peculiar  termination  finishing 
with  a  corbel,  which  probably  carried  an  image. 

The  round  church  of  the  Temple,  dedicated  1185,  and 
therefore  nearly  co temporary  with  our  chapel,  resembles 
it  in  having  piers  formed  of  four  separate  shafts  with 
a  connecting  ring  in  the  middle.  Pointed  arches  for  the 
piers  and  the  vault  ribs,  and  round  arches  for  the  windows 
and  doors.  An  intersecting  round-arched  arcade  also  runs 
round  the  triforium,  but  the  arcade  of  the  side  aisle  wall 
is  of  pointed  arches.  No  zigzag  work  occurs  in  the  Tem- 
ple, and  the  moldings  belong  to  a  school  of  masons  dif- 
ferent from  those  of  Glastonbury.  Some  of  them  appear 
to  have  had  their  forms  altered  by  subsequent  workmen. 

The  interior  of  our  chapel  is  divided  into  four  severies. 
These  are  separated  from  each  other  by  the  vault  shafts 
which  are  placed  against  projecting  piers.  Their  capitals 
are  united  under  a  semi-octangular  abacus,  from  which 
the  vault  ribs  spring.  At  the  angles  a  single  shaft  re- 
ceives the  vault  ribs  (fig.  4). 

The  outer  face  of  the  side  walls  is  divided  also  into 
four  severies.  A  square  turret  is  placed  at  eacli  angle, 
and  between  the  turrets  the  severies  are  separated  by 
buttresses  of  the  same  projection  as  the  turrets,  but  their 
faces  are  rather  more  than  half  the  breadth  of  the  latter. 

The  chapel  exhibits  some  strange  irregularities  of  plan 
and  elevation  which  deserve  attention.  These  are  faith- 
fully shewn  in  the  plates.   But  it  will  be  seen  that  in 

4 


50 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


these  the  chapel  itself  is  represented  in  simple  outline. 
The  architectural  details  being  omitted  excepting  in  the 
crypt ;  for  the  chapel  itself  has  been  completely  illus- 
trated in  many  works,  but  the  crypt,  as  far  as  I  am  aware, 
has  never  been  architecturally  investigated,  nor  have 
architectural  drawings  of  it  been  published. 

To  understand  the  irregularities  we  must  consider  the 
common  case  of  a  similar  building,  in  which  the  buttresses 
are  placed  opposite  to  the  transverse  ribs  of  the  vaults, 
as  they  ought  to  be,  in  order  to  resist  the  outward 
pressure  of  those  vaults,  which  is  the  purpose  for  w^hich 
they  are  intended. 

This  sketch  represents  a  corner  of  such  a  building 
with  its  angle  turret  and  buttresses.  A,  B,  C,  D  are  the 
dividing  lines  of  three  severies  AB,  BC,  CD,  of  equal 
breadth. 


1  ' 


L.  


 L 


m 





But  it  is  evident  that  ah,  the  breadth  of  the  outer 
wall  of  the  first  severy,  is  less  than  AB  \yj  half  the 
breadth  hh  of  a  buttress;  and  he,  the  outer  wall  of  the 
second  severy,  is  less  than  BC  by  two  halves  of  a  but- 
tress :  thus  the  intermediate  outer  severies  he,  &c.  are 
necessarily  narrower  than  oh.  This  could  only  be  reme- 
died by  placing  the  side  a  of  the  turret  at  e,  so  that  ae 
should  be  equal  to  half  a  buttress,  which  would  make 
the  turret  too  massive ;  or  else  by  making  the  end  severy 
AB  of  the  vaulting  narrower  than  the  middle  ones. 

This  difficulty  always  occurs  at  the  ends  of  a  vaulted 
building.    Generally  two  buttresses  at  right  angles  to 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY.  5[ 

each  other,  as  shewn  by  the  dotted  lines  hk,  are  used, 
but  this  does  not  afFect  the  irregularity.  It  follows  that 
in  the  end  severy  AB,  the  centre  of  the  inner  wall  cannot 
be  opposite  to  the  centre  of  the  outer  wall  ab,  and  there- 
fore the  window  cannot  coincide  with  the  centre  of  the 
outside  compartment  if  it  does  with  the  inside,  and  vice 
versa. 

Our  Norman  architect  disposed  of  the  difficulty  by 
abandoning  the  principle  of  placing  the  buttresses  oppo- 
site to  the  vault  shafts,  and  also  the  principle  of  placing 
the  windows  in  the  centre  of  the  external  compartments. 

The  plan  of  the  chapel  (fig.  4)  shews  that  the  outside 
severies  are  made  all  of  one  breadth,  and  the  inner  seve- 
ries  also  of  one  breadth,  certain  minor  inaccuracies  ex- 
cepted. 

The  exterior  elevatioD,  fig.  5,  shews  that  the  windows 
are  placed  quite  out  of  the  centre  of  the  outside  severies, 
and  (as  the  section  fig.  6  shews)  are,  with  one  exception, 
in  the  centre  of  the  interior  severies.  The  eastern- 
most window.  My  has  its  ornamental  inner  arch  (or 
escoinson  arch,  as  it  is  termed)  in  the  centre  of  the 
compartment.  But  minor  inaccuracies  in  setting  out  the 
plan,  which  it  would  occupy  too  much  space  to  explain 
fully,  have  forced  the  centre  of  this  arch  so  near  to  the 
buttress,  that  the  window  light  is  pierced  considerably 
to  the  east  of  that  centre,  to  enable  it  to  be  freed  from 
.the  buttress. 

Fig.  9,  plate  vii.  is  a  plan  of  the  turret  at  the  north- 
east angle  to  explain  the  junction  of  the  Norman  chapel 
with  the  Early  English  part,  and  also  the  construction  of 
the  flat  pier  which  belongs  to  the  great  connecting  arch. 
The  plan  of  the  eastern  wall  through  which  this  arch  was 
cut  is  given  in  dotted  lines. 

The  shafts  in  the  Norman  chapel  were  detached  and 
probably  Purbeck,  and  those  of  the  internal  and  external 

4—2 


52 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


arcades  had  a  curved  channel  sunk  in  the  wall  behind,  as 
shewn  in  this  plan.  This  artifice  gives  lightness  of  effect 
by  providing  a  free  space  between  the  shaft  and  the  wall, 
and  at  the  same  time  enables  the  shafts  to  be  set  nearer 
to  the  wall.  The  same  device  occurs  in  the  presbytery 
of  Rochester  cathedral. 

The  walls  of  the  chapel  within  and  without  are  of 
exquisite  masonry^  the  beds  worked  with  such  truth  that 
the  mortar  joint  is  scarcely  perceptible.  Like  all  me- 
diseval  walls  it  is  formed  of  rubble  within,  faced  with 
ashlar  (as  shewn  in  fig.  9).  The  courses  of  stone  on  the 
exterior  run  continuously  at  the  same  level  round  the 
buttresses  and  behind  the  arcade  shafts,  and  the  courses 
of  the  interior  also  run  continuously.  But  there  is  no 
coincidence  between  the  levels  of  the  inside  courses  and 
the  outside  courses. 

In  fig.  8  the  courses  are  laid  down  to  scale ^  in  the 
section  of  the  wall  on  the  left  side  of  the  drawing,  and 
the  great  vault  shaft,  CL,  with  the  interior  and  exterior 
shafts  of  the  arcades  are  shewn  in  their  relative  positions. 
It  will  be  seen  that  the  two  sets  of  shafts  are  alike  in 
height  and  diameter,  but  the  base  line  of  the  former  is 
2  feet  2  inches  lower  than  that  of  the  latter. 

In  fig.  9  the  columns  of  the  internal  arcade  are 
shewn  at  i,  2,  3  ;  4  is  the  vault  shaft ;  5,  6  are  the 
places  of  the  shafts  which  carried  the  arcade  of  the 
original  east  wall,  which  we  may  suppose  was  continued 
above  the  altar  in  a  similar  manner  to  the  arcades  of  the 
nine  altars  at  Durham.  Externally,  the  shafts  of  the 
north  wall  are  shewn  at  13,  14,  15,  and  the  places  of 
similar  shafts  at  9,  8,  7,  on  the  outside  of  the  east  wall. 

It  happens  that  the  channelled  recess  for  the  shaft  9 
still  remains,  and  in  a  position  which  upon  examination 

^  This  although  laid  down  for  con-    wall  really  belongs  to  the  north  wall, 
venience  on  the  section  of  the  south 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY.  53 

I  found  to  be  exactly  symmetrical  with  tlie  shaft  13,  to 
which  it  corresponds  on  the  north  wall,  as  14  and  15 
correspond  to  8  and  7  respectively  \ 

Now  the  external  ashlaring  remains  perfect  from  J  to 
but  is  broken  off  there^  having  been  removed  to  allow  the 
bonding  of  the  Early  English  wall.    It  is  resumed  at  M, 
and  continues  from  M  to  N  and  R.    At  R  it  is  necessarily 
cut  off  by  the  opening  of  the  arch. 

But  from  careful  measurements  I  ascertained  that  the 
courses  of  masonry  at  RN  correspond  exactly  with  the 
general  external  system  at  JL,  course  for  course,  to  the 
height  of  7  feet  7  inches  above  the  basement,  moreover, 
in  the  channel  behind  9,  the  half  decayed  Purbeck  block 
remains  below,  which  was  once  the  plinth  and  base  of  the 
shaft  9,  and  this  is  exactly  at  the  same  level  as  the  ex- 
ternal bases  at  13,  14,  i5;  arfd  therefore  totally  different 
from  the  level  of  the  inner  bases  at  i,  2,  3.  This  is  suf- 
ficient to  shew  that  the  Norman  chapel  had  no  chancel, 
for  as  NR  is  thus  shewn  to  be  a  continuation  of  the 
outside  wall  there  is  no  room  left  for  the  walls  of  a 
chancel  between  the  eastern  turrets,  indeed  Lady  chapels 
were  not  furnished  with  chancels,  and  apsidal  recesses 
had  been  abandoned  at  the  date  of  this  building. 

There  is  an  irregularity  in  the  plan  of  the  angle 
RNM  of  the  turret  with  respect  to  X,  which  appears  to 
indicate  that  in  the  original  state  of  the  Norman  chapel 


1  The  diagonal  line  4Z  which  joins 
the  internal  angle  of  the  chapel  with  the 
external  angle  L  of  the  turret,  makes 
angles  of  45°  with  the  walls  of  the 
chapel,  and  shews  that  the  eastern 
turrets  were  placed  symmetrically  to 
the  eastern  angles,  in  the  same  manner 
as  at  the  western  angles.  The  chan- 
nelled walls  behind  the  arcades  are 
also  in  the  plane  of  the  return  of  the 


turrets.  Thus  AN  is  in  one  straight 
line  on  the  plan,  and  similarly,  BG. 
Also  the  dotted  line  which  joins  the 
angles  13  and  9  is  at  right  angles  to 
the  diagonal  a,L,  and  is  bisected  by  it. 
Therefore  the  channelled  recess  and 
its  shaft  at  9  and  the  similar  recess 
and  shaft  at  13  stand  symmetrically 
with  respect  to  the  turret, 


54 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


there  was  a  projecting  graduated  buttress  on  the  eastern 
faces  of  the  turrets. 

Between  L  and  ilf  a  mass  of  irregular  rubble,  W,  projects 
beyond  the  base  line  of  the  building,  and  above  this  are 
indications  of  some  subsequent  jutting  appendage,  which 
may  have  been  an  oriel  chamber,  or  a  stair  tower.  But 
the  Early  English  wall  between  LM  and  the  next  but- 
tress is  entirely  demolished,  so  as  to  make  it  impossible 
to  determine  the  exact  nature  of  this  addition.  Leland, 
as  we  have  seen  (p.  14,  above),  records  a  sepulchral  chan- 
try chapel  in  a  position  which  would  agree  with  this 
point.  This  chapel  may  be  supposed  to  have  been  carried 
by  an  arch  from  buttress  to  buttress  on  the  outside  so  as 
not  to  obstruct  the  crypt  window  below  \ 

The  face  QR  of  the  pier  has  three  vertical  channels 
for  shafts  at  10,  11,  12,  which  were  exactly  the  same  in 
dimensions  as  the  arcade  shafts  of  the  original  building, 
with  bases  and  capitals,  and  a  ring  in  the  middle  in- 
dicated by  its  narrow  course  of  masonry. 

Now  as  the  courses  of  masonry  at  Q  belong  to  the 
inner  ashlar,  and  at  R  to  the  outer  ashlar,  the  coursing 
of  the  face  of  the  pier  is  necessarily  irregular.  It  is 
manifest  that  the  intermediate  stones  of  its  face  (white,  in 
the  plan)  were  derived  from  the  demolished  east  wall,  as 
well  as  the  three  above-mentioned  shafts,  bases,  and 
capitals  which  stood  in  front  of  them.  The  plinths  of 
these  shafts  stand  upon  a  projecting  mass  of  masonry 
QSTR,  shewn  also  in  the  section  (fig.  6),  and  this  is 

1  The  fragment  of  the  eastern  wall  western  turret  HI,  a  relation  easily 

BG,  fig.  6,  which  still  projects  from  the  observed  by  means  of  the  shafts  with 

south  wall  above  the  ruin  of  the  spring  which  these  turrets  are  faced.  As 

of  the  flat  soffitted  arch,  enables  its  far  as  my  observations  went,  the  two 

position  with  respect  to  the  south-  cases  are  exactly  alike,  as  the  mea- 

east  turret  DE  above,  to  be  compared  surements  from  which  I  constructed 

with  the  similar  relative  positions  of  the  plan  fig.  9  also  shew, 
the  western  wall  FG,  and  the  north- 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


55 


plainly  indicated  by  the  masonry  itself,  to  have  been  built 
up  from  the  old  foundation  wall  of  the  east  end,  and 
underpinned  to  the  stones  at  Q  and  R. 

The  three  capitals  sustain  a  long  string  course  ob- 
tained from  the  same  source,  and  the  arch  itself  has  a 
broad  soffit  concentric  with  the  original  eastern  wall  rib 
of  the  Norman  chapel,  under  which  it  was  inserted.  This 
soffit  was  ornamented  with  panels  of  shallow  tracery  of 
which  only  a  small  portion  remains  (fig.  6),  containing 
the  lower  ends  of  the  panels.  These  shew  that  there 
were  two  parallel  sets;  but  the  heads  of  the  panels  having 
vanished,  there  is  no  clue  to  the  style  to  which  they 
belonged. 

We  may  now  examine  the  Early  English  building 
which  unites  the  Norman  chapel  with  the  church.  Un- 
fortunately the  spoilers'  hands  have  spared  but  one  com- 
partment of  this,  and  that  one  is  greatly  dilapidated. 
But  the  wall  rib  of  its  vault  remains,  and  records  that  the 
ridges  of  the  Norman  and  Early  English  transverse  vaults 
were  at  the  same  level  at  the  side  walls  (vide  fig.  6),  and 
that  therefore  the  arch  above  described,  with  its  broad 
soffit,  was  parallel  to  the  vaults  of  the  two  buildings 
which  it  connected. 

The  Early  English  building  is  considerably  broader 
than  the  Norman  chapel,  and  although  very  nearly  of 
the  same  interior  length  measured  from  the  .Norman  par- 
tition wair,  is  divided  into  three  severies  instead  of  four. 

Two  opposite  doors  occupy  the  central  compart- 
ments. The  north,  of  rich  Early  EngHsh  work,  is 
nearly  perfect,  and  the  south  utterly  obUterated  beyond 
evidence  enough  to  shew  that  a  door  was  there.  A  hand- 
some ffight  of  steps,  extending  across  the  whole  from 
wall  to  wall,  occupied  nearly  the  whole  of  the  eastern 

^.  The  length  of  the  Norman  chapel     lish  building,  5 1  feet, 
is  53  feet,  and  that  of  the  Early  Eng- 


56 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


severy,  and  led  up  from  the  pavement  of  this  building  to 
the  great  west  door  of  the  church,  which  terminates  the 
interior  eastward,  and  was  designed  and  built  in  connec- 
tion with  it.  The  steps  themselves  have  all  disappeared, 
but  the  traces  of  their  abutments  and  housings  on  the 
north  wall  of  the  building  were  sufficiently  distinct  to 
enable  me  to  obtain  the  section  sketched  in  fig.  6. 

This  Early  English  portion  has  been  so  mercilessly 
stripped  of  its  ashlar,  and  in  other  respects  ruined,  that  it 
is  impossible  to  recover  the  complete  details  of  its  archi- 
tecture. But  enough  remains  to  shew  that,  although  in 
a  different  style  from  the  Norman,  it  was  designed  in 
imitation  of  it,  and  with  its  leading  architectural  lines  so 
nearly  at  the  same  level,  that  it  must  have  been  intended 
from  the  beginning  that  the  east  wall  of  the  Norman 
chapel  should  be  removed  so  as  to  make  the  second 
building  a  continuation  of  the  first.  In  both,  the  vaults 
rise  from  vault  shafts,  whose  plinths  project  from  the 
front  of  the  stone  bench,  and  their  abacuses  are  at  the 
level,  and  in  continuation  of  the  string  mold  under 
the  windows.  Also  the  wall  below  the  windows  is  orna- 
mented in  every  severy  with  an  arcade  interrupted  only 
by  the  doors,  in  the  first  building  of  interlacing  round 
arches,  and  in  the  second  of  richly  molded  round- 
headed  trefoil  archest  A  single  window  occupied  in  each 
severy  the  wall  above  the  arcade.  Not  one  of  these  in 
the  second  building  is  perfect  enough  to  shew  its  details, 
but  they  appear  to  have  been  of  one  light  simply. 

The  springing  stones  of  the  vault  of  the  Early  En- 

^  I  have  sketched  the  arcade  in  carried  up  simultaneously  with  the 

the  eastern  compartment  of  fig.  6,  to  west  front  of  the  church,  probably 

shew  its  arrangement  in  connection  because  it  formed  the  lower  stage  of 

with  the  rising  steps.    The  irregular  a  buttress  to  the  front ;  and  that  the 

coursing  of  this  eastern  severy  and  of  connecting  wall  between  the  Norman 

the  wall  east  of  the  door  jamb  indi-  chapel  and  this  first  erected  portion 

cates  that  the  greater  part  of  it  was  was  built  afterwards. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


57 


glish  building  shew  that  there  were  two  intermediate 
ribs  between  the  transverse  and  wall  ribs,  as  in  the  pres- 
bytery of  Ely  Cathedral,  finished  about  the  middle  of  the 
thirteenth  century.  But  the  rib  moldings  here  appear  to 
be  of  rather  a  later  type  than  those  of  Ely.  The  dotted 
lines  in  the  compartment  vi.  vii.  of  fig.  4  shew  the  plan 
of  the  ribs.  The  outer  surfaces  of  the  walls  are  in  worse 
order  than  the  inner ;  but  it  may  be  perceived  that  the 
buttresses  had  niches  or  tabernacles  for  images  in  the 
upper  story,  after  the  manner  of  Ely  presbytery  \ 

Architectural  researches  are  sadly  obstructed  in  this 
place  by  the  matted  stems  of  ivy  which  cover  the  walls  in 
all  directions,  concealing  some  of  the  most  beautiful  de- 
corations, and  gradually  helping  to  moulder  and  decay 
the  details  of  this  valuable  specimen  of  mediaeval  art. 

In  considering  the  objects  for  which  this  Early  En- 
glish building  was  constructed,  it  at  once  appears  that  the 
flight  of  steps  leading  up  to  the  west  door  of  the  church, 
combined  with  the  two  lateral  and  opposite  doors,  wholly 
unfit  it  for  the  reception  of  an  altar  at  its  eastern  portion, 
and  shew  that  it  could  not  have  been  intended  in  the  first 
instance  for  a  second  chapel. 

The  only  purpose  it  could  have  served  was  that  of 
a  Galilee  porch  to  give  access  to  the  western  door  from 
the  old  cemetery  on  the  south,  and  from  the  cemetery  of 
the  laity  on  the  north.  It  was  probably  used  for  the 
egress  and  regress  of  processions  on  certain  feast  days. 
Privileged  persons  would  have  been  permitted  to  enter 
the  porch  and  occupy  the  western  severy  and  the  gradu- 
ated bench  tables  that  flank  the  steps  of  the  eastern  one. 

It  also  greatly  improved  the  dignity  and  architec- 

1  I  have  sketched  these  roughly  as  shewn  m  fig.  5.    Part  of  the  stones 

m  fig.  5  at  6.    The  base  mold  of  the  of  the  south  junction  of  these  bases 

Early  English  wall  is  five   inches  happens  to  remain  in  situ  (near  F, 

higher  than  that  of  the  Norman  wall,  fig.  4)- 


58 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


tural  effect  of  the  group  of  two  churches.  For  the  dis- 
tance of  the  small  vetusta  ecclesia  or  Norman  chapel 
from  the  great  west  front  of  the  great  church  was  but 
fifty  feet,  and  the  two  buildings  when  entirely  discon- 
nected must  have  stood  in  damaging  contrast  to  each 
other.  But  by  uniting  them,  the  two  became  parts  of  a 
whole;  and  the  length  of  the  smaller  building,  now  in- 
creased to  1 1 5  feet,  compensated  for  its  inferior  altitude, 
and  added  to  the  magnitude  of  the  mass. 

Yet,  although  this  Galilee  was  intended  for  a  purpose 
different  from  that  of  the  Norman  chapel,  we  have  seen 
that  its  architectural  lines  were  arranged  so  that  it  might 
serve  internally  as  a  continuation  of  it. 

It  is  manifest  that  it  rendered  the  east  windows  of 
the  chapel  useless,  and  the  only  way  in  which  the  con- 
tinuation could  have  been  intended  was  by  substituting 
an  arch  of  connection  for  the  east  wall,  and  placing  a 
reredos  on  or  near  'the  site  of  that  wall,  which  would 
separate  the  chapel  from  the  Galilee  porch  behind  it. 
The  reredos  rising  to  or  near  the  level  of  the  string 
maid  over  the  arcades  would  give  to  the  Norman 
chapel  the  benefit  of  the  light  from  the  Galilee  windows 
with  increased  space  and  air,  and  the  perspective  of  the 
Galilee  vault,  in  the  manner  which  imparts  so  great  a 
charm  to  the  mediaeval  churches. 

A  small  lateral  door  at  the  north  and  south  extremity 
of  the  reredos  according  to  the  usual  arrangement, 
would  give  to  the  priests  the  advantage  of  passing  from 
the  great  church  to  the  chapel  through  the  galilee. 

There  are  no  traces  of  the  abutments  of  such  a  par- 
tition, or  reredos,  against  the  present  walls,  but  the  most 
probable  place  for  them  is  at  H  and  K  (fig.  4),  where  a 
plain  face  of  Norman  ^  wall  about  two  feet  five  inches  broad 

1  Shewn  more  clearly  at  Ng ,  fig.  9,  and  below  B  in  fig.  6. 


OP  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


59 


occurs  on  each  side,  and  v/ould  hardly  have  been  allowed 
to  remain  in  this  state  in  the  enriched  Gahlee  porch  if 
it  had  not  been  destined  for  such  a  purpose  as  this  from 
the  beginning.  The  western  face  of  the  reredos  would 
thus  coincide  with  the  line  RT,  fig.  9,  which  is  the  eastern 
face  of  the  back  wall  of  the  Norman  arcade,  and  it  would 
rest  upon  the  Norman  foundation  wall  of  the  demolished 
eastern  gable,  which  wall  extended  farther  eastward  than 
the  gable  itself,  because  it  had  to  carry  the  sloping  base- 
ment mold\ 

The  panelling  of  the  soffit  of  the  connecting  arch 
seems  to  shew  that  the  opening  of  the  arch  between  the 
chapels  was  not  carried  out  immediately  after  the  com- 
pletion of  the  Early  English  Galilee,  for  such  panelling 
belongs  to  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  and  to  the  succeed- 
ing centuries.  Possibly  the  Early  English  work  may 
have  been  carried  on  slowly  to  its  completion  with  the 
same  style  and  moldings  as  when  first  designed,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  nave  of  the  church  and  other  ex- 
amples. 

X 

^  Vide  longitudinal  section,  fig.  6. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  CRYPT  OF  ST  JOSEPH'S  CHAPEL. 


The  building  itself  shews  that  the  arrangement  I  have 
described  in  the  last  chapter  turned  out  to  be  a  transition 
one. 

William  of  Worcester  has  already  given  us  reason 
to  believe  that  when  he  saw  it  c.  1480^  the  Lady  chapel 
was  all  laid  into  one^,  and  I  will  now  proceed  to  develope 
this  transformation,  which  is  confirmed  by  the  remains  of 
the  building.  One  of  its  most  curious  features  is  the 
crypt",  which  extends  continuously  from  the  western  wall 
of  the  chapel  to  the  foot  of  the  flight  of  steps  at  the 
west  front  of  the  church ;  thus  occupying  the  whole 
ground-floor  excepting  the  eastern  severy  of  the  Early 
English  porch,  which  was  appropriated  to  the  great  steps, 
under  which  this  crypt  was  not  extended. 

I  shall  as  I  proceed  adduce  abundant  evidence  to 
shew  that  this  crypt  was  entirely  a  construction  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  never  contemplated  by  the  original 
builders,  either  of  the  Norman  chapel  or  of  the  Early 
English  porch,  and  therefore  utterly  unprovided  for  in  the 
structure  of  either. 

The  vault  of  this  crypt  was  in  a  state  of  utter  ruin 

^  See  p.  18,  above.  transverse  sections  figs.  7  and  8,  plate 

^  See  the  plan  of  the  crypt  in  fig.  3,  vi. 
the  longitudinal  section  fig.  6,  and  the 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY  OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY.  61 


when  Stukeley  saw  it  in  1724.  He  relates  that  under- 
neath the  chapel  of  J oseph  of  Arimathea  "  was  a  vault, 
now  full  of  water,  the  floor  of  the  chapel  being  beaten 
down  into  it.  It  was  wrought  with  great  stones.  Here 
was  a  capacious  receptacle  of  the  dead  ;  they  have  taken 
up  many  leaden  coffins  and  melted  them  into  cisterns. 
Hence  is  the  subterranean  arched  passage  to  the  Torr 
according  to  their  notion^" 

In  1826  Mr  John  Fry  Beeves',  the  then  proprietor 
of  the  monastic  enclosure,  cleared  out  all  the  earth  and 
ruins,  and  repaired  and  improved  the  stone  steps  which 
led  down  to  it.  Soon  after  this  the  walls  of  the  chapel 
appear  to  have  threatened  failure,  and  led  to  the  con- 
struction of  the  transverse  brick  bonding  arches  which 
now  connect  these  walls  at  the  level  of  the  chapel  pave- 
ment. But  the  crypt  itself  is  now  completely  emptied 
of  ruins  and  rubbish,  perfectly  dry  and  open  to  the  sky. 
Its  floor  is  simply  hard  earth,  excepting  a  portion  at  the 
east  end  where  one  severy  of  the  vault  still  exists,  but 
unfortunately  in  a  very  trembling  condition.  That  por- 
tion retains  a  coarse  pavement  of  plain  tiles. 

The  construction  and  proportions  of  this  crypt  and 


1  It  was  still  in  this  inaccessible 
condition  in  18 13,  when  Wild  made 
his  drawings  for  Britten's  Architec- 
tural Antiquities,  Vol.  iv.  In  the 
section  of  the  chapel  the  upper  part 
of  the  crypt  is  indicated.  Nash,  in 
the  Vetusta  Monumenta,  181 5,  ig- 
nores it  altogether.  No  drawings  or 
details  of  it  have  ever  been  published 
as  far  as  I  am  aware,  except  by  Mr 
Warner,  who  engraved  sketches  of  the 
one  complete  vaulted  compartment  of 
the  crypt,  and  of  the  arch  of  the  well, 
from  Buckler's  drawings.  He  attri- 
butes the  crypt  to  Abbot  Herlewin  (p. 
xxxviij.),  and  declares  the  western 
moiety  to  be  the  original,  the  eastern 


half  somewhat  later  (p.  Ixxviij.). 

The  only  modern  notice  of  this  crypt 
that  I  have  met  with  after  Warner's, 
is  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Somerset- 
shire Archaeological  Society  on  occa- 
sion of  the  visit  of  that  body  to  the 
ruins  in  1859,  when  Mr  J.H.Parker, 
of  Oxford,  declared  that  he  was  "in- 
clined to  identify  St  Joseph's  chapel 
with  the  church  of  St  Mary,  dedicated 
in  1 186,  and  added,  that  "the  crypt  is 
naturally  the  most  ancient  part,  but 
it  differs  from  the  superstructure  only 
so  much  as  the  subterranean  part 
usually  does  from  the  upper  part." 

2  Warner's  Glastonbury,  1826,  p. 
Ixxvi. 


62 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


Stukeley's  record  of  the  leaden  coffins  taken  out  of  it 
shew  that  it  was  not  built^  like  the  early  crypts,  for 
subterranean  chapels  and  places  of  interment  with  se- 
pulchral monuments ;  but  for  the  reception  of  coffins  like 
a  catacomb  or  charnel.  There  are  no  traces  of  altars  or 
piscinas,  or  other  evidence  of  ritual  apparatus.  A  rude 
block  at  the  north-east  angle  has  indeed  been  mistaken 
for  a  piscina,  but  is  not  pierced,  and  is  apparently  a 
bracket  to  support  a  lamp.  Mr  Warner  tells  us,  that 
when  the  crypt  was  cleared,  the  Roman  Catholic  clergy 
said  that  it  was  not  intended  for  worship. 

The  reason  for  its  construction  may  be  found  in  the 
revival  of  the  tradition  of  St  Joseph,  and  in  the  words 
of  the  preface  to  Glaston's  Chronicle,  that  in  the  old 
times  kings  and  queens,  bishops  and  nobles  of  both 
sexes,  esteemed  themselves  blessed  if  they  could  but 
obtain  the  privilege  of  a  burial-place  on  that  ancient 
site  where  Joseph  was  buried  with  a  multitude  of 
saints,  or  even  elsewhere  with  a  small  portion  of  that 
holy  earth. 

The  manner  of  its  construction,  according  to  my 
examination  of  the  ruins,  will  be  understood  from  the 
section  (fig.  7,  plate  vi.^). 

The  section,  which  looks  westward,  is  made  on  the 
right  side  through  the  wall  and  respond  6  (fig.  6)  cutting 
along  the  transverse  rib  of  the  vault.  The  left-hand  half 
of  the  section  is  taken  through  the  middle  of  the  com- 
partment 6,  7,  and  therefore  through  the  crypt  window. 

Mediaeval  buildings  of  importance  are  provided  with 
substantial  foundation  walls  which  are  carried  down  to 
the  firm  ground  below.  Of  such  walls  I  have  seen  many 
which  happen  to  have  been  exposed  during  repairs,  as  for 

^  This  belongs  to  the  two  eastern     as  shewn  in  the  section  of  the  western 
compartments,  but  the  principle  is     compartment  (fig.  8). 
exactly  the  same  in  the  whole  crypt, 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


63 


example,  at  tlie  cathedrals  of  Lichfield,  Ely,  Hereford, 
and  others ;  in  which,  not  only  the  outer  walls,  but  the 
ranges  of  piers,  are  set  upon  continuous  foundation  walls 
of  rubble  constructed  with  great  care.  That  this  was  the 
case  at  Glastonbury  is  manifested  by  the  crypt  itself ;  and 
was  necessary,  because  the  Norman  building  was  erected 
in  an  ancient  cemetery,  employed  for  centuries,  and  the 
earth  consequently  wholly  unfit  to  bear  an  important 
building  without  such  deep  foundations.  The  level  of  the 
ground  when  the  walls  were  built  is  marked  by  the  base- 
ment moldings  as  at  A,  fig.  7.  Below  this  the  rubble 
foundation  wall  extends  downwards  twelve  or  more  feet, 
as  the  case  may  be,  and  its  thickness  corresponds  to  that 
of  the  upper  wall  measured  at  the  level  of  the  basement 
and  pavement,  which  is  six  feet.  The  pavement  of  the 
crypt  is  eleven  feet  below  the  pavement  of  the  Galilee.  To 
form  this  crypt,  it  was  simply  necessary  to  take  up  the 
latter  pavement  and  excavate  the  earth  from  between  the 
foundation  walls  to  the  required  depth.  For  the  con- 
struction of  the  vault  the  inner  rough  surface  of  the  walls 
was  then  lined  with  a  wall  of  coursed  rubble  which  serves 
as  the  facino:  of  the  north  and  south  boundaries  of  the 
vaulted  compartments. 

No  wall  ribs  are  employed  for  the  vault,  but  this 
facing  is  rebated"  or  set  back  over  the  arched 
line  of  abutment  of  the  vault  so  as  to  form  a  resting- 
place  for  it  (as  at  fig.  7,  B,  C).  As  the  whole  of  these 
vaults  have  fallen,  with  the  exception  of  the  eastern 
compartment,  this  construction  is  plainly  seen,  in  the 
longitudinal  section  (fig.  6)  from  one  end  of  the  crypt 
to  the  other. 

The  transverse  and  diagonal  vault  ribs  spring  in  a 
group  from  low  pilasters  or  responds  {DF,  fig.  7)  be- 
tw^een  which  these  facing  walls  were  built. 

In  most  of  these  compartments  a  window  is  provided 


64 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


of  a  kind  which  is  usual  in  crypts.  Sections  of  two  of 
them  appear  in  the  left-hand  sides  of  fig.  7  and  8. 

The  floors  of  crypts  are  always  sunk  to  a  lower  level 
than  the  outer  surface  of  the  ground,  but  not  so  com- 
pletely as  in  the  present  example,  in  which  the  outer 
surface  of  the  ground  (A)  coincides  with  the  crown(^) 
of  the  vault.  In  the  Norman  crypts  that  were  planned 
simultaneously  with  the  superstructure,  the  outer  surface 
level  is  at  half,  or  two- thirds,  of  the  height  of  the  vault, 
so  as  to  allow  the  window  of  the  crypt  to  open  fairly 
into  the  open  air;  as,  for  example,  at  Canterbury  and 
Winchester.  There  the  windows  are  pierced  completely 
through  the  thick  wall,  and  their  inner  sills  coincide  with 
the  inner  surface  of  the  wall. 

In  the  later  crypts,  as  at  Becket's  corona  and  Boches- 
ter,  the  window  opens  inwards  to  a  deep  arched  recess,  or 
rear-vault,  which  rises  from  the  floor  of  the  crypt.  This 
feature  is  employed  in  our  case ;  but,  in  addition,  the  arch 
or  vault  which  crowns  it  is  sloped  upwards  and  outwards 
excessively,  so  as  to  enable  the  external  window  frame  to 
be  placed  in  the  basement  moldings  of  the  chapel  im- 
mediately under  the  cap  mold. 

The  back  wall  of  the  recess,  instead  of  being  vertical, 
slopes  backwards  so  as  to  admit  the  light,  and  act  as 
a  retaining  wall  or  buttress  against  the  high  mass  of 
earth  without,  and  also  to  avoid  the  necessity  of  cutting 
away  too  much  of  the  foundation  wall  out  of  which  these 
recesses  were  excavated.  Thus  the  original  structure 
of  the  chapel  is  not  nearly  so  much  weakened  by  the 
formation  of  these  recessed  windows  as  might  appear  at 
first  sight ;  indeed  the  sections  shew  that  the  greater  part 
of  the  arched  recess  is  contained  in  the  facing  wall  with 
which  the  foundation  walls  are  lined,  and  that  the  outer 
opening  of  the  window  is  a  comparatively  small  breach 
in  the  original  basement  mold.    But  the  arch-heads  of 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY.  ^5 

the  recesses  are  of  various  forms,  and  all  of  a  Perpen- 
dicular character.  The  jambs  of  the  recesses  are  care- 
fully built  with  quoins  of  masonry,  and  evidently  con- 
structed at  the  same  time  as  the  facing  wall  which  they 
pierce. 

The  longitudinal  section  shews  that  on  the  north  side 
the  first  severy  of  the  vault  has  a  doorway  instead  of  a 
window,  this  being,  in  fact,  the  entrance  to  the  crypt  from 
without.  The  second  severy  is  bounded  by  a  blank  wall, 
for  being  under  the  entrance  doorway,  it  was  not  only 
unadvisable  to  risk  the  settlement  of  the  wall  above,  but 
also  impossible  to  gain  light  to  a  window.  The  four  re- 
maining severies  have  windows. 

Having  now  described  the  features  which  are  com- 
mon to  the  whole  crypt,  we  will  proceed  to  details, 
which  vary  in  different  parts  of  it. 

The  two  eastern  severies  are  exactly  alike,  their  vault 
is  ribbed  in  a  peculiar  form  shewn  in  the  plan,  with 
diagonal  ribs  that  meet  before  they  arrive  at  the  centre 
of  the  vault,  and  unite  in  a  horizontal  transverse  ridge 
rib,  which  forms  a  cross  with  the  lonmtudinal  ridofe  rib. 

The  ribs  are  composed  of  old  Norman  voussoirs, 
but  are  set  in  the  form  of  the  four-centered  arch,  which 
belongs  to  the  Perpendicular  period.  The  shafts  of  their 
responds  are  built  of  the  same  voussoirs.  Their  section 
is  given  at  A,  plate  ii.  These  Norman  materials  were 
probably  derived  from  monastic  buildings  in  course  of 
reconstruction. 

In  fact  the  chapter-house,  the  refectory  and  dormi- 
tory, first  built  by  Abbot  Henry  de  Blois  in  the  12th 
century,  were  rebuilt  in  the  14th  and  15th  centuries  by 
Abbots  Monington  and  Chinok,  and  one  of  these  may 
well  have  supplied  the  stones  on  the  present  occasion. 
But  the  manner  in  which  the  shaft  of  the  responds,  whose 
plan  is  that  of  a  single  voussoir,  is  made  to  branch 

5 


65 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


upwards  into  three  separate  ribs  of  the  same  size  and 
section,  gives  rise  to  a  most  picturesque,  or  rather  gro- 
tesque, device,  which  is  shewn  in  the  woodcut. 


Perspective  sketch  of  the  pier. 


The  shaft  E,  formed  of  four  Norman  voussoirs,  stands 
upon  a  plinth  D,  Upon  the  voussoirs  is  set  a  large 
stone  block  Fy  forming  a  rude  capital  and  abacus.  Upon 
this  is  a  large  springing  block  G,  which  is  shaped  so  as 
to  receive  on  the  upper  surface  the  lower  voussoirs  of 
three  distinct  ribs,  its  form  being  ingeniously  managed 
so  as  to  represent  them  as  dying  downwards  upon,  or 
interpenetrating  the  upright  prism,  which  is  a  continua- 
tion of  the  abacus  upwards. 

Evidently  the  base,  the  capital,  and  the  springing 
block,  as  well  as  the  key-stones  upon  w^hich  the  ribs 
mitre  and  intersect,  belong  to  the  period  of  construction 
of  the  crypt.  The  arch-heads,  or  escoinsons,  of  the  win- 
dow recesses,  are  also  of  pure  Perpendicular  form,  but 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY.  ^7 

the  molding  which  ornaments  them  is  a  thick  roll,  or 
howtellj  evidently  intended  to  match  the  Norman  vous- 
soirs. 

The  longitudinal  section,  fig.  6,  and  plan,  fig.  3,  shew 
that  these  two  severies  of  the  crypt  stand  just  to  the  east 
of  the  foundation  wall  ^  5  of  the  old  eastern  gable  CB 
of  the  Norman  chapel,  so  as  to  admit  of  this  portion  of 
the  crypt  having  been  completely  constructed  wdthout 
disturbing  that  chapel. 

At  whatever  previous  time  the  eastern  gable  of  the 
chapel  had  been  pierced  for  the  construction  of  the  con- 
necting arch,  it  is  plain  that  the  foundation  wall  of  that 
gable  lying  beneath  its  pavement  would  not  have  been 
eradicated.  Thus  the  earth  contained  between  the  east 
face  of  this  foundation  wall  and  the  lateral  foundation  walls 
of  the  Galilee  could  be  excavated,  and  the  crypt  completed 
thus  far.  A  retaining  wall  however  had  to  be  built  (at  7) 
at  the  foot  of  the  steps  \  The  springing  blocks  at  the 
eastern  corners  of  the  crypt  against  this  retaining  wall 
are  not  provided  with  stumps  of  diagonal  ribs  eastward, 
and  the  key-stone  of  the  vault  itself  is  not  provided 
with  a  stump  for  continuing  the  ridge  rib  eastward, 
which  is  sufficient  to  shew  that  the  crypt  was  not  meant 
to  extend  farther  that  way. 

The  next  step  in  the  formation  of  the  crypt  was  to 
extend  it  under  the  Norman  chapel,  which  was  probably 
carried  out  after  a  considerable  interval  of  time;  for 
the  construction  of  the  western  portion  is  slighter,  and 
differs  in  many  respects  from  the  eastern. 

"When  the  middle  foundation  wall  {A  5,  figs.  3  and 
6)  had  been  removed  and  the  pavement  and  earth  below 
it  cleared  out  from  the  Norman  chapel  to  the  requisite 


1  When  this  portion  of  the  crypt  probably  through  one  of  the  win- 
was  completed  the  entrance  to  it  was  dows. 

5—2 


68 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


depths  the  space  (i — 5)  was  divided  into  four  severies, 
equal  in  number  to  the  severies  of  the  chapel  above. 
But  as  the  division  of  the  crypt  starts  from  a  point  5, 
at  the  east  end  outside  the  thick  wall  {A  5),  and  the 
division  of  the  chapel  from  a  point  above  A,  inside  the 
thick  wall,  it  follows  that  the  responds  and  transverse 
arches  that  separate  these  crypt  vaults  do  not  stand  op- 
posite to  either  the  vault  shafts  above  or  the  buttresses 
outside  \  This  distribution  is  enough  of  itself  to  shew 
that  this  crypt  forms  no  part  of  the  original  structure 
of  the  chapel. 

The  transverse  ribs  4  and  3  are  continuous  arches 
made  of  Norman  voussoirs  (fig.  plate  11.),  of  a  different 
section  from  those  of  the  eastern  crypt.  The  diagonal  ribs 
{D  and  E,  plate  11)  are  of  the  common  Perpendicular 
section  with  plain  chamfered  edges,  and  they  die  upon  a 
springing  block  interposed  between  the  vertical  shaft  and 
the  arch,  and  shaped  soas  to  receive  them. 

In  the  compartment  (4,  5,  fig.  6)  the  complex  spring- 
ing block  of  the  eastern  vault  at  K  has  the  bed  and 
stump  of  the  diagonal  rib  formed  of  the  section  A,  plate 
II.,  already  described,  looking  westward  and  prepared  by 
the  constructors  of  that  vault,  thus  shewing  that  the 
extension  of  the  crypt  westward  was  intended  from  the 
beginning  to  have  been  on  the  same  pattern.  But  the 
corresponding  diagonal  rib  of  the  springing  block  at  L 
of  the  later  builders  has  its  section  in  the  simple  cham- 
fered form.  It  must  be  presumed  therefore  that  they 
carried  this  diagonal  rib  across  and  allowed  it  to  rest 
upon  the  stump  which  had  been  provided,  without 
an  attempt  to  reconcile  the  difference.  I  have  already 
said  that  this  crypt  was  formed  not  for  ornament  but 
for  use. 

^  This  triple  discordance  is  clearly  shewn  in  the  plan  of  the  crypt  (fig.  3), 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


69 


In  figs.  6  and  8  it  will  be  seen  that  by  adopting  the 
continuous  arches  the  capital  of  the  respond  employed 
in  the  eastern  crypt  was  got  rid  of  and  the  springing 
block  simplified.  In  fig.  8  EF  is  the  shaft  of  the  re- 
spond of  Norman  materials,  resting  on  a  plain  Perpen- 
dicular plinth,  FG  the  springing  block,  GII  the  trans- 
verse arch  of  Norman  voussoirs.  In  plate  ii.  fig.  BDCCE 
is  a  plan  of  this  impost,  employed  at  4  and  3,  shewing 
the  transverse  continuous  arch  of  Norman  voussoirs  and 
the  Perpendicular  chamfered  ribs  which  abut  against  and 
interpenetrate  with  the  transverse  arch,  forming  discon- 
tinuous imposts.  These  interpenetrations  take  place  in 
the  springing  block. 

The  transverse  rib  at  2,  fig.  3,  and  the  western  rib 
I  at  the  west  end  are,  with  the  respond  shafts,  of 
decided  Perpendicular. 

On  the  left  half  of  fig.  8  the  arch  IH  is  that  which 
forms  the  wall  rib  of  the  western  wall  (at  i,  fig.  6) ;  ^  is 
the  rough  face  of  the  wall  against  which  the  vault  abutted. 
The  springing  block  at  1  shews  the  bed  of  the  diagonal 
rib  branching  with  a  discontinuous  impost  from  the 
respond.  H  is  the  west  end  of  the  longitudinal  rib,  which 
remains  embedded  in  the  wall. 

When  the  crypt  windows  are  viewed  from  the  outside 
of  the  building  it  will  be  found  that  they  are  all  charac- 
terized by  the  rude  manner  in  which  their  outer  openings 
are  cut  through  the  basement  mold,  in  positions  utterly 
irrespective  of  symmetry  or  of  the  integrity  of  that  im- 
portant member  of  the  architectural  decoration.  Not  one 
of  them  is  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  severy,  and  the 
vertical  sides  of  the  opening  expose  the  rubble  core  of 
the  sloping  masonry,  as  shewn  in  the  section  of  the 
crypt  at  /  (fig.  7). 

This  rough  work,  as  at  F  and  G,  fig.  4.  ^lay  be  con- 
trasted with  the  treatment  of  this  basement  at  the  side  of 


70 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


the  Norman  doorways  as  at  D  and  E.  There  also,  the 
sloping  basement  is  cut  down  vertically  on  each  side  of 
the  doorway  to  allow  of  free  access  to  the  door.  But  as 
this  was  part  of  the  original  construction  the  masonry  is 
set  in  accordance  with  it  so  as  to  cover  the  core. 

The  heedless  manner  in  which  the  crypt  windows 
burst  through  the  sloping  basement  is  best  shewn  in  the 
ground  plan  of  the  chapel  (fig.  4),  and  in  the  exterior 
elevation^  fig.  5.  But  the  relation  of  these  windows  to 
the  crypt  is  given  in  the  plan  of  the  crypt  (fig.  3). 

The  elevation  of  the  chapel  shews  these  windows, 
which  have  either  two  or  three  square  headed  lights 
separated  by  massive  mullions^  The  strongest  instance 
of  their  interference  with  the  existing  edifice  is  in  the 
eastern  vault  6,  7,  where  the  window  arch  head  rising 
obliquely  outwards  and  upwards  from  the  crypt,  under  the 
doorway  arch,  brings  the  window  frame  to  the  level  of  the 
cap  molding  of  the  basement  as  in  all  the  others.  This 
window  head  still  exists  entire  as  shewm.  But  as  in  this 
case  it  is  brought  out  under  the  doorway,  it  must,  when 
completed,  have  made  it  necessary  to  raise  the  threshold 
of  the  doorway  at  least  two  feet  three  inches  above  its 
original  level 2,  and  to  approach  the  doorway  by  steps  car- 
ried on  an  arch  to  admit  light  to  the  window;  or,  which 
is  more  probable,  its  presence  shews  that  when  the  crypt 
was  constructed,  the   arrangement   of  the  chapel  and 


^  These  mullions  are  inserted  un- 
der the  lintel  of  the  windows  in  an 
unusual  manner.  Instead  of  the  ordi- 
nary straight  horizontal  joint,  which 
makes  it  necessary  to  carve  the  mitred 
junction  of  the  mullion  with  the  lintel 
upon  the  lintel  stone  itself,  the  head 
of  the  mullion  is  cut  so  as  to  fit  the 
chamfered  front  of  the  Hntel,  and  the 
two  are  united  by  a  thin  tenon  in  the 
mullion,  as  if  they  had  been  made  by 


a  carpenter  instead  of  a  mason.  The 
structural  bearing  of  the  lintel  upon 
the  mullion  is  thus  confined  to  the 
flat  bed  which  connects  the  vertical 
sides.  These  sides  shew  that  the 
lights  were  grated  with  three  irons, 
the  holes  for  the  reception  of  which 
are  shewn  in  the  sections,  figs.  7  and  8. 

^  In  fig.  6  the  dotted  lines  in  the 
doorway  shew  the  height  of  the  new 
threshold. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY.  71 

Galilee  was  altered  so  as  to  dispense  with  the  doorway 
altogether  ^ 

The  most  obviously  striking  proof  of  the  intrusion  of 
the  crypts  into  a  building  that  was  not  intended  for  them 
is  the  fact,  that  their  vaults  are  so  constructed  as  to  raise 
the  pavement  of  the  Norman  chapel  to  the  level  of  the 
stone  bench  which  surrounds  the  wall,  and  thus  completely 
to  destroy  the  bench  itself,  which  forms  only  a  continuation 
of  the  pavement.  Intlie  sections,  figs.  6,  7,  8,  the  hnings 
of  the  side  walls  of  the  crypt,  built  to  carry  the  vaults, 
still  stand  perfect,  but  the  vaults  have  all  fallen,  and  have 
been  cleared  away,  with  the  exception  of  the  eastern  one. 
The  apexes  of  the  lining  walls  rise  above  the  old  pave- 
ment line,  and  the  upper  surface  of  the  vaults  that  rested 
upon  them  must  have  risen  still  higher.  The  faces  of 
the  old  bench  table  are  seen  between  these  linings,  and 
shew  the  old  level 2.  The  thresholds  of  the  doorways  A 
and  B  (fig.  4)  are  unmistakeably  raised  above  their  origi- 
nal level  to  coincide  with  that  of  the  stone  bench. 

In  the  Early  English  Galilee  the  vault  was  not  so 
constructed  as  to  affect  the  level  of  the  pavement ;  but  it 
has  so  happened  that  the  pressure  of  the  earth  on  the 
outside  of  these  walls  has  forced  them  inwards,  and  thus 
distorted  the  two  transverse  ribs  that  remain  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  force  the  key  stone  upwards,  and  make  it 
appear  as  if  the  pavement  must  have  risen  nearly  to 
the  bench  table,  in  the  same  manner  as  in  the  western 
crypt. 

1  Mr  Wild's  engravings  in  18 13,  6,  and  the  transverse  section,  of  the 
shew  this  doorway  neatly  walled  up  Norman  chapel,  fig.  8 :  in  the  latter, 
so  as  to  exhibit  its  inner  and  outer  the  hne  is  the  level  of  the  old 
arch  lines.  Its  jambs  are  half  buried  pavement;  CD  the  level  of  the  new 
in  the  soil  so  as  to  hide  the  window.  pavement,  which  was  laid  to  coincide 
This  walling  up  was  probably  done  at  with  the  stone  bench;  A" is  the  face 
the  period  we  are  considering.  of  the  western  wall. 

2  Vide  the  longitudinal  section,  fig. 


72     ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY  OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 

The  entrance  to  the  crypt  is  at  the  north-west  corner 
by  a  Perpendicular  doorway  M  (fig.  3)  of  the  same  age  as 
the  crypt.  When  first  cleared  out  by  Mr  Keeves,  the 
stone  steps  that  led  down  to  it  were  broken,  dislocated, 
and  useless.  Mr  Reeves  removed  them,  and  excavated 
the  passage  twelve  or  fifteen  yards  northwards,  so  as 
to  make  the  present  convenient  flight  of  steps  between 
walls.  In  doing  so  '^eighteen  coffins  were  found,  all 
placed  east  and  west.  The  length  of  one  was  eight  feet 
three  inches  inside,  and  the  whole  length  of  it  was  filled 
up  by  the  skeleton.  All  the  coffins  were  made  of  oak 
two  or  three  inches  thick.  Under  the  head  and  shoulders 
of  each  corpse  was  placed  a  bundle  of  wood  shavings. 
Beneath,  and  on  the  right  side  of  each  skeleton,  a  rod  of 
thorn  or  hazel,  of  the  same  length  as  the  coffin.  Three 
of  the  coffins  lay  under  the  masonry  and  steps  which  led 
into  the  crypt,  and  were  therefore  interred  previously  to 
the  formation  of  the  crypt,  and  therefore  before  the  end 
of  the  eleventh  century^,''  as  Mr  Warner  writes,  but  for 
which  I  beg  to  substitute  the  fifteenth  century. 


^  Warner's  Glastonbury,  p.  Ixxx, 


CHAPTEE  YII. 

FINAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF  ST  JOSEPH's  CHAPEL. 


We  have  now  traced  the  western  appendage  to  the  great 
church  through  its  successive  conditions  of  an  isolated 
Norman  chapel  in  the  12th  century,  united  to  the  church 
by  the  Galilee  porch  in  the  13th  century,  and  provided 
with  a  crypt  in  the  15th  century.  It  only  remains  to 
consider  how  the  interior  of  the  chapel  was  finally  ar- 
ranged after  the  crypt  was  completed. 

The  history  of  the  Galilee  at  Durham  cathedral  ap- 
pears to  illustrate  so  well  the  boldness  with  which  changes 
and  alterations  were  made  in  this  department  of  the 
church  in  the  middle  ages,  that  I  will  briefly  explain  it. 
For  these  two  Galileos  resemble  each  other  in  combining 
a  porch  with  a  western  Lady  chapel,  and  are  the  only 
two  English  examples  of  western  Lady  chapels'.  The 


^  The  positions  of  twenty-four  of 
the  principal  English  Lady  chapels 
with  respect  to  the  church  are  as  fol- 
lows: 

Sixteen  at  the  east  end : — namely, 
Eleven  at  the  east  end  as  a  separate 
chapel. — Gloucester,  Exeter,  Chi- 
chester, Hereford,  Winchester, 
Sherborne,  Chester,  Wells,  Nor- 
wich, Salisbury,  Lichfield  (Nor- 
man foundations). 
Five  at  the  east  end,  in  continua- 
tion of  the  choir  at  the  same  al- 


titude.—  Lincoln,  Old  St  Paul, 
Worcester,  Lichfield,  York. 
Five  at  the  side  of  the  north  tran- 
sept.— Ely,  Peterborough,  Bristol, 
St  Frideswide  at  Oxford,  Canter- 
bury. 

One  at  the  south  side  of  the  nave. — 

Rochester. 
Two  at  the  west  end  of  the  nave. — 

Glastonbury,  Durham. 
The  Saxon  cathedral  at  Canterbury 
also  had  the  Lady  chapel  at  the  west 
end. 


74 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


Norman  nave  of  Durham  has  a  great  ornamental  west 
doorway  at  A  (see  plan,  fig.  lo,  plate  vn.),  which  originally- 
opened  upon  a  space  of  ground,  bounded  westward  by 
a  steep  cliff,  under  which  the  river  flows. 

"When  Bishop  Pudsey  undertook  the  con- 
^^97"^"^"  struction  of  a  Lady  chapel,  the  dislike  of  St 
Cuthbert  to  the  fair  sex  having,  according  to 
the  well-known  legend,  compelled  this  bishop  to  alter 
his  original  plan  of  placing  it  at  the  east  end  of  the 
church,  where  the  saint  was  buried,  and  build  it  at  the 
west  end;  the  result  was  the  present  elegant  and  unique 
Galilee  of  Durham.  The  distance  of  the  old  west  front 
from  the  cliff  being  little  more  than  fifty  feet,  he  ob- 
tained space  by  extending  this  chapel  so  as  to  cover 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  west  front,  dividing  it  into  five 
aisles,  of  which  the  two  outer  ones  are  low. 

It  was  entered  by  a  door  on  the  north  side  at  B. 
Its  central  aisle  was  terminated  eastward  by  the  west 
door  of  the  cathedral,  and  it  contained  two  altars.  The 
one  at  C,  dedicated  to  '^St  Bede,"  at  the  extremity  of 
the  south  aisle,  the  other  at  D,  to  our  Lady  of  Pity," 
at  the  extremity  of  the  north  aisle,  as  shewn  in  the  plan. 
The  lateral  doors  ^,  into  the  cathedral  were  pierced 
afterwards,  as  will  presently  appear. 

By  this  arrangement,  the  Lady  chapel  or  Galilee,  as 
it  is  termed  in  the  original  documents,  was  also  a  porch 
to  the  west  door  of  the  cathedral,  to  which  it  led  from 
its  own  lateral  door  B  exactly  in  the  manner  of  Glaston- 
bury. But  as  it  impeded  the  free  access  to  the  west 
door,  the  bishop  opened  a  new  lateral  entrance  to  the 
cathedral  on  the  north  side,  and  built  a  porch  there, 
marked  north  porch  on  the  plan. 

This  Galilee,  or  Lady  chapel,  at  Durham,  remained  in 
its  original  state  till  the  time  of  Bishop  Langley  (1406 
to  1438).    He  founded  a  chantry  of  the  Virgin  for  the 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


good  of  his  soul,  after  the  manner  of  his  time,  where,  to 
use  the  quaint  phraseology  of  the  ''Rites  of  Durham," 
"  our  Ladies  masse  was  sung  daily  by  the  maister  of  the 
Song  Schole  with  certain  decons  and  quiristers,  the  mas  - 
ter playing  upon  a  paire  of  faire  organes." 

Finally,  the  bishop,  in  his  will,  bequeathed  his  body 
to  be  buried  in  his  church  of  Durham,  in  the  chapel  of 
the  blessed  Virgin  Mary,  called  the  Galilee,  "  in  capella 
beatse  Mariae  Virginis  vocata  le  galilee."  For  the  due 
performance  of  the  above  service,  he  thoroughly  repaired 
and  fitted  up  the  Galilee,  apparently  at  that  time  in  a 
ruinous  condition. 

He  closed  the  original  central  doorway  of  the  nave 
with  a  thin  wall,  employing  the  recess  thus  formed  as  a 
place  for  his  new  altar  of  the  Virgin  (at  A),  which  he 
endowed  as  above,  and  supplied  a  new  communication 
between  the  Galilee  and  nave,  by  opening  doors  (E,  F) 
on  each  side  into  the  side  aisles  of  the  latter. 

To  the  west  of  this  uew  Virgin  altar,  at  a  sufficient 
distance  from  it  to  admit  of  the  performance  of  the  ser- 
vices, he  built  for  himself  a  tomb  [L),  on  each  side  of 
which  steps  led  up  to  the  altar  platform  \  The  original 
door  B  was  also  walled  up,  and  another  opened  at  G. 

If  we  now  return  to  Glastonbury,  we  find  that  J ohn 
of  Glaston,  in  his  biography  of  Abbot  Adam  de  Sodbury 
(1322  to  1335),  informs  us  that  ''he  assigned  to  the  sa- 
cristary^  twenty  marcs  yearly  for  the  maintenance  of  four 
priests,  well  skilled  in  song,  who,  together  with  the  two 

1  The  history  of  these  curious  more  particularly  in  Billing's  Dur- 

changes  was  developed  for  the  first  ham  Cathedral. 

time  by  the  Rev.  James  Raine,  in  his  ^  Sacrlstary  is  the  oflfice  and  en- 

Brief  Account  of  Durham  Cathedral,  dowment  of  the  sacrist.    Vide  Du- 

published  anonymously  in  1833.    The  cange.    "Sacrista  sacrorum  custos. 

questionable  taste  of  modern  restora-  Sacristaria,  sacrista  munus  Monachi- 

tions  has  swept  away  these  curious  chum,  cum  reditu  etprsediis  annexis" 

arrangements,  but  their  details  are  (Ducange). 
preserved  in  Carter's  engravings,  and 


76 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


anciently  appointed  to  the  gaUlee\  and  the  other  two 
maintained  by  the  sacrist  and  eleemosynary,  shall  daily 
chant  her  service  in  the  chapel  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  clad 
in  surplice  and  amice,  and  shall  come  in  the  aforesaid 
form,  to  the  solemn  masses  of  the  choir."  ^'  He  also  pro- 
vided eight  surplices  and  eight  decent  amices  for  the 
chapel  of  the  Blessed  Mary,  for  the  purpose  of  vesting 
the  aforesaid  chaplains^." 

My  purpose,  in  the  digression  to  Durham,  is  to  shew 
that,  in  the  15th  century,  the  complete  endowment  of  a 
daily  Virgin  mass  was  accompanied  there  by  a  refitting 
of  the  interior  of  the  Lady  chapel,  and  the  unscrupulous 
closing  of  the  great  west  door  of  the  cathedral,  to 
supply  a  conspicuous  central  position  for  the  altar.  We 
may  therefore  suppose  that  the  earlier  endowment  of  a 
daily  Virgin  mass  at  Glastonbury,  by  Abbot  Sodbury, 
may  have  led  to  arrangements  and  contrivances  for 
increasing  the  space  of  the  chapel,  which  also  involved 
the  closing  of  the  west  door  of  the  church.    And  this 


^  "  Hie  etiam  assigiiavit  officio  sa- 
cristariae  singulis  annis  viginti  marcas 
pro  susteiitacione  quatuor  sacerdotum, 
bene  cantantium  qui  cum  duobus  de 
Galilcea  antiquitus  ordinatis  et  aliis 
duobus  per  sacristam  et  elemosiuarium 
exhibendis,  in  Capellse  beatse  virginis, 
superpelliciis  et  aimiciis  induti,  cotidie 
de  melodico  cantu  deservient  et  veni- 
ent  in  forma  predicta  ad  missas  chori 
solennes....Providebit  insuperocto  su- 
perpellicii  et  octo  almicia  honesta  ad 
capellam  beatse  Marise  pro  capellanis 
predictis  vestiendis,"  &c.  J.  Glaston, 
p.  268. 

Galilee  a.  Ducange  quotes  many 
passages  which  shew  that  this  word 
was  appropriated  to  a  porch  of  the 
church,  or  (as  he  observes,  some  of 
the  passages  may  be  interpreted)  to 


the  nave.  "Similiter  cum  redeunt  ad 
introitum  Ecclesias :  ad  exitus  vero 
Galilese  sunt  parati  duo  famuli  Elee- 
mosynarii."  Bernardus,  Mon.  in  Con- 
suetud.  Chmiacensih.  "i)^  mensu- 
ratione  officinarum.  Galilsea  longi- 
tudinis  lxv  pedes,  et  duse  turres 
ipsius  galilsese  in  fronte  constitutae,  et 
subter  ipsas  atrium  est  ubi  laici  stant, 
ut  non  impediant  processionem,  &c." 
Guidonis  Disciplina  Farfensis. 

2  It  also  appears  from  the  preface 
of  the  Cottonian  MS.  of  John  of  Glas- 
ton's  history,  that  in  memory  of  the 
twelve  primitive  hermits,  twelve  bre- 
thren of  the  monastery  were  daily 
assembled  in  the  old  church,  at  the 
service  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  the 
saints  there  deposited. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


77 


necessity  was  combined  with  the  urgent  want  of  room 
for  the  burial  of  persons  attracted  to  the  spot  by  the 
newly  developed  legend  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea.  The 
latter  difficulty  inspired  the  monks  with  the  project  of 
forming  the  crypt.  That  done,  the  extension  could  only 
have  been  made  by  removing  the  reredos  farther  eastward 
into  the  Galilee. 

As  the  intrusion  of  the  crypt  windows  into  the  doors 
of  the  Galilee  shews  that  they  were  closed  up  and  aban- 
doned, we  may  suppose  that  the  reredos  was  fixed  as  near 
to  the  western  door  of  the  cathedral  as  would  leave  a 
space  for  a  small  vestry  behind  it.  This  western  door 
would  allow  the  ecclesiastics  to  pass  from  the  church  to 
the  Lady  chapel  through  the  lateral  doors  of  the  reredos, 
and  thus  the  united  length  of  the  Norman  chapel  and 
Galilee  would  form  one  long  Lady  chapel,  as  William  of 
Worcester  describes  it  in  1478,  34  yards  in  length  and 
8  yards  wide. 

After  all,  this  arrangement  appears  to  grow  naturally 
out  of  the  works  consequent  on  the  determination  to 
make  a  crypt.  I  have  shewn  that  the  crypt  was  first 
made  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  partition  wall  between 
the  Norman  chapel  and  the  Galilee.  While  this  work 
was  going  on,  a  temporary  partition  would  have  been  set 
up  in  the  great  arch  and  the  Galilee  porch  surrendered 
to  the  workmen  without  stopping  the  daily  service  in 
the  Norman  chapel.  That  crypt  finished,  some  years 
probably  elapsed  before  the  western  crypt  was  begun. 
But  then  the  partition  wall  must  have  been  again  set  up 
and  the  altar  of  the  Virgin  transferred  to  the  Galilee 
porch,  thus  initiating  the  final  scheme  of  arrangement. 
The  crypt  beneath  the  Norman  chapel  was  then  built  and 
the  new  pavement  laid  and  the  whole  brought  into  one. 
That  these  works  of  alteration  were  not  recorded  is  to 
be  accounted  for  by  the  usual  practice  of  monastic  chro- 


78 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


niclers,  which  is^  to  omit  the  mention  of  works  which 
were  carried  on  from  the  funds  of  the  monastery  and 
accumulated  offerings,  and  merely  to  record  specific 
works  which  were  undertaken  by  the  Abbot  or  Bishops 
whose  biography  they  are  writing. 

The  passage  quoted  above  (p.  75)  relating  to  Abbot 
Sodbury's  endowment  of  the  Lady  chapel  is  especially 
valuable,  because  it  shews  that  the  term  ^'Galilee"  was 
applied  anciently  to  the  western  appendage  at  Glaston- 
bury, and  seems  to  have  included  not  only  the  porch  but 
the  chapel,  as  priests  were  appointed  to  it.  We  thus 
obtain  a  third  English  example  of  a  Galilee,  hitherto,  I 
believe,  unnoticed,  the  other  two  being  Ely  and  Durham \ 
Now  at  Durham  and  Glastonbury  we  have  seen  that  the 
Galilee  is  an  appendage  to  the  west  end  of  the  great  church, 
which  combined  a  porch  of  entrance  to  it  and  a  chapel 
with  one  or  more  altars.  At  Ely  the  term  has  been  by 
modern  antiquaries  limited  to  the  western  porch,  but  in 
the  earliest  published  plan,  given  by  Browne  Willis,  in 
his  Cathedrals,"  1727,  it  is  applied  to  the  whole  western 
transept,  in  a  manner  which  indicates  that  he  was  merely 
employing  the  common  phraseology  of  the  period,  tradi- 
tionally handed  down  from  the  middle  ages.  The  south 
arm  of  the  transept  is  lettered  the  South  Galileey  the  north 
arm  the  Ruined  part  of  the  Galilee.  A.s  each  arm  of  this 
transept  had  a  chapel  projecting  eastward,  this  English 
Galilee  like  the  two  others  combines  a  western  porch  with 
chapels  at  the  west  end  of  the  cathedral,  which  were 
accessible  without  entering  the  nave  itself.  They  were 
probably  provided  for  persons  who  were  excluded,  tem- 
porarily or  permanently,  from  the  great  church,  for 
reasons  connected  with  ecclesiastical  discipline,  or  for  local 
reasons,  like  the  aversion  of  St  Cuthbert  to  females. 

^  The  south  porch  at  Lincoln  is  also  called  the  Galilee,  but  upon  no 
documentary  evidence. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


70 


A  few  words  must  be  said  about  a  well  in  the  crypt, 
which  has  attracted  more  attention  than  it  deserves.  On 
the  south  side  of  the  crypt,  in  the  third  severy,  4,  5  (fig. 
3),  is  a  late  Perpendicular  doorway  N  leading  to  a  pas- 
sage OP  cut  through  the  foundation  wall  and  continued 
southwards  to  its  termination  at  a  length  of  seventeen  feet, 
by  a  wall  P.  At  the  end  of  the  passage,  on  the  left  hand 
and  at  the  level  of  the  pavement,  is  a  small  low  arched 
recess  Q  sunk  four  feet  into  the  side  wall.  The  recess  is 
about  five  feet  wide  and  contains  a  well  R  supplied  by 
an  excellent  spring.  The  mouth  of  the  well  is  a  circular 
opening  in  the  pavement  two  feet  two  inches  in  diameter 
and  is  covered  over  head  by  the  arch.  The  arch  of  the 
recess  is  round-headed  and  richly  carved  with  zigzag 
work  of  the  same  character  as  that  which  decorates 
the  windows  of  the  chapel  above  and  those  of  the  great 
church. 

Opposite  this  well,  westward,  is  a  newel  stair  or 
"vice"  of  only  five  steps,  which  lead  by  a  short  passage 
ST,  which  runs  northward  (side  by  side  on  the  higher 
level  with  the  passage  OP  from  the  crypt)  to  a  flight 
of  stone  steps  TV  (see  plan  of  chapel,  fig.  4)  partly  in  the 
thickness  of  the  chapel  wall,  and  finally  to  a  small  ogee- 
headed  doorway  W  pierced  through  the  interior  arcading. 
In  fact,  the  well  and  the  newel  stairs  and  the  passages  were 
on  the  floor  of  a  small  low  building  erected  on  the  south 
side  of  the  chapel.  The  traces  of  the  abutment  of  its 
walls  and  roof  upon  the  outer  wall  of  the  chapel  are  plain 
and  unmistakeable.  The  roof  had  a  ridge  but  was  very 
slightly  inclined.  The  steps  from  T  to  W  are  formed  in 
a  peculiar  manner  to  allow  of  a  steep  ascent.  They  are 
arranged  in  two  sets  side  by  side,  each  step  twice  as  high 
as  an  ordinary  one,  and  the  treads  of  one  set  halfway 
between  the  treads  of  the  other.  A  person  ascending 
from  the  landing  T  begins  with  the  left  foot  and  the 


80 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


eleventh  step  lands  him  at  W  (as  the  numerals  on  the  plan 
between  X  and  W  indicate).  But  the  outbuilding  had  a 
floor  at  the  level  of  the  chapel  pavement,  resting  on  the 
vault  which  covers  the  passage  from  the  crypt  and  the 
staircases,  and  the  opening  of  the  peculiar  stairs  is  so 
narrow  that  it  is  easy  to  step  from  X  to  W  over  it. 
Thus  the  door  W  also  gives  an  entrance  from  the  ceme- 
tery to  the  chapel.  The  east  wall  was  joined  to  the 
chapel  wall  by  sinking  a  groove  in  the  latter  to  receive 
it,  which  cuts  through  the  wall  in  a  way  that  shews  the 
whole  to  have  been  formed  at  the  time  of  the  upper 
doorway,  in  the  15th  century,  and  it  was  apparently  only 
a  covered  way  from  the  doorway  to  the  steps  and  well 
beneath,  to  enable  the  priests  to  draw  water  as  required. 

But  the  well  itself  is  as  old  as  the  chapel,  and  stands 
completely  outside  of  the  foundation  wall.  Its  mouth, 
which  coincides  with  the  level  of  the  crypt  floor,  is  there- 
fore belov7  the  original  pavement  of  the  chapel.  Pre- 
vious to  the  formation  of  the  crypt  it  must  have  been 
reached  by  a  flight  of  steps  from  the  cemetery,  and  the 
water  employed  for  washing  or  for  any  other  ordinary 
purpose;  the  arch  was  built  against  the  foundation  wall 
after  the  completion  of  the  latter.  Its  junction  with  it, 
by  a  straight  joint,  is  visible  at  the  side  of  the  passage 
(at  Y),  which,  as  already  shewn,  was  cut  through  that 
foundation  wall  when  the  crypt  was  made  in  the  fif- 
teenth century.  The  junction  of  the  fifteenth  century  wall 
with  the  foundation  is  seen  at  Z.  The  passage  O,  cut 
through  the  foundation  not  only  gave  access  to  the  well 
from  the  crypt,  but  also  supplied  access  from  the  chapel 
above  to  the  crypt. 

Before  the  crypt  was  cleared  by  Mr  Reeves  in  1825, 
the  entrance,  and  a  very  short  portion  only,  of  the  passage 
was  perceptible.  With  the  usual  popular  love  of  the 
marvellous,  and  especially  in  the  matter  of  subterraneous 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


81 


passages,  tliis  was  universally  believed  to  lead  to  the 
Tor.  When  it  was  manifested  that  it  only  led  to  this 
well,  the  well  was  immediately  pronounced  to  have  been 
a  holy  well  and  to  have  been  used  by  the  monks  in  aid  of 
their  miracles,  and  also  as  an  object  of  pilgrimage.  Yet 
not  a  word  of  a  holy  well"  is  to  be  found  either  in  the 
mediaeval  chronicles  and  itineraries,  or  in  the  local  tradi- 
tions that  hung  about  the  place  after  the  dissolution,  and 
have  been  told  to  the    curious"  visitor  ever  since'. 


1  The  discovery  of  this  well  led  to 
great  excitement  in  the  town,  the  Ro- 
manists said  the  well  was  not  an  object 
of  pilgrimage,  but  for  local  conveni- 
ence ;  the  room  for  a  vestiary,  or  place 
for  putting  on  or  changing  the  priests' 


garments,  and  the  well  for  washing 
them  in ;  but  Mr  Warner  "  doubts  the 
explanation"  (p.  Ixxx.),  which,  never- 
theless, appears  to  be  the  exact  truth 
of  the  matter. 


G 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  MONASTIC  BUILDINGS. 


Much  of  the  history  of  these  monastic  buildings  is 
recorded  by  John  Glaston  and  Leland,  and  is  worth 
reciting,  for  comparison  with  the  progress  of  similar 
establishments.  We  have  seen  that  Abbot  Henry 
de  Blois  built  a  complete  set  of  monastic  offices  between 
1 1 26  and  1 171.  In  after- times  his  chapter  house  was 
rebuilt  by  Abbot  Monington  (1341  to  1374),  and  com- 
pleted by  Abbots  Chinok  and  Frome. 

His  refectory  or  fratry,  his  dormitory  and  his  cloister, 
were  rebuilt  by  Abbot  Chinok  (1374  to  1420). 

The  great  guest-hall  or  abbot's  hall  was  begun  by 
Abbot  Froment  (1303  to  1322),  carried  on  by  his  succes- 
sors, and  finished  by  Monington. 

Abbot  Breynton  (1335  to  1341)  made  the  prior's  hall 
and  kitchen  with  other  offices,  and  the  steps  which  led 
up  to  the  orchard,  sumptuously  and  beautifully  con- 
structed; he  also  began  the  abbot's  chapel,  which  was 
completed  by  his  successor. 

Finally,  Abbot  '^Bere  (1492  to  1524)  buildid  the  new 
Lodging  by  the  great  Chambre  caullid  the  Kinges 
Lodging  in  the  galery.  Bere  buildid  the  new  Lodginges 
for  Secular  Prestes  and  Clerkes  of  our  Lady. 

^'He  made  an  Almose  House  in  the  north  part  of 


ARCHITECTUrxAL  HISTORY  OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY.  83 

the  Abby  for  vij  or  x  poor  Wymen  with  a  Chapel." 
Leland^  iii.  86. 

The  monastic  buildings  have,  with  the  exception  of 
the  abbot's  kitchen,  entirely  disappeared.  A  few  foun- 
dation lines  are  laid  down  in  Wild's  plan  of  the  church. 
Stukeley's  drawings  are  so  extremely  incorrect  that  very 
little  can  be  inferred  from  them.  It  is  only  necessary 
to  compare  his  sketches  of  St  Joseph's  chapel  with  the 
existing  ruins  to  understand  how  utterly  incapable  he 
was  of  drawing  mediseval  architecture. 

We  may  gather  from  them,  however,  that  the  north 
wall  of  St  Joseph's  chapel  was  then  complete  from  one 
end  to  the  other,  yet  he  has  omitted  in  his  views  of  the 
ruins  the  pyramidal  capping  of  the  turrets  altogether, 
although  two  of  them  still  exist.  His  sectional  restoration 
is  so  ridiculously  unlike  the  reality  that  it  is  not  worth 
dwelling  upon. 

A  considerable  fragment  of  the  north  wall  of  the  choir 
with  pier  arches  and  also  a  detached  pier  seems  to  have 
remained  in  his  time.  But  with  this  exception  the  ruins 
were  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  same  state  as  they  are 
now.  The  abbot's  lodging,  introduced  complete  into  his 
37th  plate,  is  copied,  as  he  tells  us,  from  a  drawing  made 
by  his  friend  Mr  Strachey,  before  it  was  pulled  down 
by  the  Presbyterian  tenant. 

All  that  can  be  said  of  the  disposition  of  this  monas- 
tery is  that  the  cloister  was  on  the  south  of  the  church, 
the  cemetery  of  the  laity  on  the  north,  and  that  it  followed 
the  ordinary  Benedictine  arrangement.  The  cloister,  as 
usual,  had  its  chapter-house  on  the  east  side,  separated 
from  the  transept  gable  by  the  passage  termed  the 
slype,"  and  these  are  easily  traceable  by  the  foundation 
walls.  The  latter  gave  access  to  the  space  eastward, 
where,  probably,  the  ordinary  cemetery  of  the  monks  was 
situated,  and  also  to  the  infirmary,  with  its  chapel, 


84 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


kitchens,  &c.,  of  which  however  no  remains  exist.  The 
refectory  occupied  the  south  side,  also  shewn  by  the 
parallel  foundation  walls. 

The  principal  portal  of  the  abbey  is  placed  by  Hollar 
on  the  north  boundary  of  the  common  cemetery,  and 
therefore  opposite  to  the  north  porch  of  the  nave.  It 
was  at  the  end  of  a  lane  which  led  from  the  principal 
street  of  the  town,  and  from  St  John's  church.  This 
cemetery  was  bounded  westward  by  a  wall,  which  ex- 
tended from  the  north-west  corner  of  St  Joseph's  chapel, 
and  cut  off  public  access  round  the  west  end  of  it.  But 
there  was  a  gateway  arch  close  to  the  chapel  at  n  in  the 
plan  (fig.  i),  and  a  building,  of  which  a  small  fragment 
0  remains  and  shews  that  its  lower  story  was  vaulted. 

On  the  south  side  of  this  chapel  was  the  ancient 
cemetery  of  the  monks,  to  which  so  much  importance 
was  attached.  This  was  bounded  on  the  east  by  the 
buildings  that  occupied  the  west  side  of  the  cloister, 
and  on  the  west  by  a  wall  which  passed  from  the  above- 
mentioned  small  building  within  a  few  yards  of  the  west 
end  of  the  chapel,  and  reached  very  nearly  to  the  abbot's 
kitchen.  Its  south  boundary  appears  to  have  been  the 
wall  of  the  abbot's  guest-hall  and  kitchen  court. 

Two  stone  crosses  stood  in  front  of  this  cemetery^  at 
and  q  (fig.  i)  and  two  others  near  the  spot  marked  I,  op- 
posite the  south  side  of  the  chapel.  Each  pair  of  stones 
marked  the  grave  of  some  distinguished  person,  the  latter, 
of  Arthur,  and  stood,  the  one  at  the  head,  the  other  at 
the  feet,  and  therefore  in  a  line  east  and  west.  The  first 
pair  remained  until  a  short  time  previous  to  Whitaker's 
visit  to  the  site  in  1777.  They  had  been  (in  his  words, 
p.  35)  reduced  to  the  height  of  only  nine  or  ten  feet,  yet 
even  then  exhibited  some  of  their  old  engravings  upon 
them,  and  in  this  state  were  they  then  dragged  away, 

^  Vide  p.  30,  above. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


85 


though  some  of  the  most  celebrated  monuments  in  Bri- 
tain, to  make  a  post  to  a  field,  or  form  a  prop  to  a  cot- 
tage. When  seen  for  the  last  time  by  any  historical  eye, 
they  stood  in  their  original  position,  on  the  edge  of  the 
burying-ground,  and  a  few  feet  from  the  north-western 
angle  of  the  church  There  are  still  shewn  the  cavi- 
ties in  which  the  pyramids  were  set ;  two  large  hollows, 
having  a  smaller  hollow  for  the  sepulchre  between 
them\" 

In  this  cemetery  was  also  set  up  at  h,  the  pillar 
described  at  page  20,  above,  which  marked  the  dimensions 
and  position  of  the  wicker-church,  and  stood  32  feet  south 
of  the  chapel  wall,  on  the  same  meridian  line  as  a  certain 
interior  step  which  coincided  with  the  east  end  of  the 
primitive  building. 

This  step  was  probably  the  one  which  in  the  first 
state  of  the  Norman  chapel  was  placed  near  the  middle  of 
the  eastern  severy  and  belonged  to  the  altar  platform . 
Its  abutment  against  the  wall  is  shewn  in  fig.  6 above  L. 

The  curia  or  entrance  court  of  the  monastery  for  the 
laity  and  guests  was  entered  from  the  street  or  road 
which  runs  from  the  market-place  eastward,  by  another 
abbey  gateway,  which  stood  south-west  of  the  church. 
The  almery  was  there,  and  a  group  of  chambers, 
halls,  and  kitchens,  devoted  to  the  lodging  and  enter- 


1  It  is  strange  that  Whitaker  (p. 
33)  quoting  Malmsbury's  words,  failed 
to  perceive  that  he,  in  one  and  the 
same  page,  describes  two  pair  of 
crosses  in  diflferent  positions,  one  dis- 
tinctly attributed  to  Arthur,  the  other 
as  standing  in  front  of  the  monks' 
cemetery,  and  it  is  still  more  strange, 
that  Whitaker  (p.  34)  quoting  William 
of  Worcester's  memorandum  concern- 
ing the  two  pyramids  of  King  Arthur, 
which  he  saw  opposite  the  south  win- 


dow, omits  the  latter  phrase;  appa- 
rently, because  he  was  unable  to  re- 
concile it  with  the  position  of  the 
crosses  he  was  describing,  at  the  west 
end  of  the  chapel,  and  which  he  had 
hastily  assumed  to  mark  Arthur's 
grave. 

2  The  point  h  on  the  pkn,  fig.  i, 
should  have  been  placed  farther  west- 
ward, opposite  the  middle  of  the  east- 
ern severy. 


86     ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY  OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 

tainment  of  the  pilgrims  of  all  ranks,  and,  as  in  all 
monasteries,  placed  remote  from  the  cloister  buildings 
and  church. 

Here  too  were  the  granaries,  brewhouse,  bakehouse, 
stables,  &c.  But  of  all  these  buildings  the  traces  are  so 
completely  destroyed,  that  no  plan  can  be  traced  of  them. 
The  abbot's  kitchen  alone  has  been  preserved  from  de- 
struction. The  abbot's  guest-hall  is  placed  by  Hollar 
parallel  and  nearly  opposite  to  St  Joseph's  chapel,  which 
is  probably  its  correct  place,  because  it  is  thus  brought 
into  the  usual  position  in  respect  to  the  kitchen. 


DESCRIPTIOxN  OF  THE  PLATES. 


The  plates  of  this  work  are  designed  especially  for  the  explanation  of 
the  construction  and  arrangements  of  the  buildings  and  not  for  the 
display  of  their  architectural  beauties,  for  these  have  been  amply  and 
well  represented  and  recorded,  architecturally  and  picturesquely,  by  the 
best  artists  in  each  department  from  Hollar  in  1655  to  the  present 
time;  and  are  now  also  illustrated  by  photography  and  accessible 

to  air. 

The  present  lithographs  are  copied  from  the  drawings  which  I  laid 
down  on  a  large  scale  from  my  own  measurements  and  investigations, 
and  employed  for  the  illustration  of  the  lecture  which  formed  the  basis 
of  this  volume.  In  them  the  different  styles  of  architecture  were 
denoted  by  tints  of  bright  colors.  These  colors,  for  convenience,  have 
given  place  in  the  lithographs  to  tints  of  shade  I'uling  on  a  simple 
system;  according  to  which  Norman  work  is  represented  by  crossed 
diagonal  lines.  Early  English  by  crossed  rectangular  lines,  first  Perpen- 
dicular by  parallel  vertical  lines,  second  Perpendicular  by  parallel 
diagonal  lines. 

It  must  also  be  remarked  that  in  the  exterior  elevation  and  longi- 
tudinal section  of  St  Joseph's  chapel  the  architectural  details  of  arcading, 
moldings  and  vaultings  are  omitted  for  reasons  explained  at  p.  50. 


^  The  following  list  includes,  I  be- 
lieve, all  the  standard  works  that  contain 
engravings  of  Glastonbury,  and  (in  italics) 
the  names  of  the  artists  who  made  the 
drawings.  Hollar,  1655,  in  Dugdale's 
Monasticon;  Stevens,  Monasticon,  1720; 
Stuheley,  Itinerarium  Curiosum,  1724; 
Grose,  Antiquities,  1753;  Carter,  Ancient 
Architecture,  1800 ;  Storer,  Antiquarian 
and  Topographical  Cabinet,  Vols.  ii.  v. 
VI.  1807,  &c.;  Wild,  in  Britten's  Archi- 


tectural Antiquities,  Vol.  IV.  18 13;  Nash 
in  the  Vetusta  Monumenta,  Vol.  iv.  18  r5  ; 
Coney  and  Nash  in  the  New  Monasticon, 
Vol.  I.  1 8 1 7 ;  Buchler,  in  Warner's  His- 
tory of  the  Abbey  and  Town,  1826. 
(Amongst  the  drawings  of  this  artist,  we 
find  the  newly  cleared  crypt,  the  well, 
the  Glastonbury  chair,  and  the  clock-face 
from  Wells.)  Puyin,  in  his  Specimens, 
gives  the  kitchen,  and  the  George  Inn, 
1833. 


88 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


Plate  I.  Fig.  1.    Plan  of  the  Abbey  church  of  Glastonbury. 

This  plan  differs  from  those  that  have  been  hitherto  published  in  the 
disposition  of  the  east  end  of  the  great  church,  the  evidence  for 
which  is  fully  stated  in  Chapter  lY.  I  have  also  inserted  a  north 
porch  (p.  36),  and  several  particulars  relating  to  the  arrangements 
of  the  cemetery  of  the  monks  (p.  85).  The  parts  of  the  church 
that  remain  are  distinguished  by  a  darker  shade. 

As  not  a  fragment  of  the  lateral  portions  of  the  west  front  is  left,  it  is 
impossible  to  determine  whether  or  no  it  had  western  towers  or 
doorways  on  each  side  at  the  extremities  of  the  aisles. 


Plate  II.  Fig.  2.    Elevation  of  the  south  east  side  aisle  wall  of  the 

church. 

This  elevation  illustrates,  in  conjunction  with  the  plan,  the  evidence  for 
the  original  arrangement  of  the  east  end  and  the.  form  of  the 
subsequent  elongation  in  the  fourteenth  century  (p.  31).  In  this 
sketch  I  have  denoted  the  respond  piers  by  a  series  of  numerals 
beneath  the  base  line  of  the  elevation,  and  in  referring  to  the 
severies  have  distinguished  them  as  severy  4,  5,  or  6,  7,  and  so  on. 

The  coloured  tint  distinguishes  the  portions  of  this  wall  which  still 
remain.  The  lighter  tint  from  7  to  10  indicates  the  later  wall,  the 
courses  of  masonry  shew  a  seam  on  the  west  side  of  the  respond  7, 
which  indicates  the  junction  of  new  work  with  old.  But  the  two 
fissures  in  the  wall  between  the  bench  table  and  string  mold,  in 
5,  6  and  6,  7,  indicate  a  repair  of  the  portion  of  wall  between 
them. 

Below  the  point  marked  1 1  on  the  tops  of  5,  6,  there  is  a  vertical  groove 
in  the  face  of  the  wall  which  begins  on  the  string  course  and  pass- 
ing behind  the  wall  rib  rises  to  the  top  of  the  wall.  The  use  of 
this  is  not  apparent.  It  may  have  received  a  rope  passing  down- 
wards from  a  sanctus  bell  in  a  turret  above,  or  a  bell  to  summon 
the  monks. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY.  g9 
The  figures  beneath  the  elevation  are  details  of  moldings. 

A,  the  section  of  the  Norman  voussoirs  of  the  eastern  crypt  of  St 

Joseph's  chapel  (Chap.  YI.  p.  65,  &c.). 

B,  the  section  of  two  responds  and  ribs  of  the  western  crypt.  The 

dotted  lines  BGGU  form  a  plan  of  the  impost  of  the  vault  ribs 
(pp.  68,  69). 

F,  a  vault  rib  of  the  great  church  and  the  Norman  part  of  St  Joseph's 

chapel. 

G,  the  base  of  the  responds,  7,  8,  9,  10,  Fig.  2. 

ffj  the  base  of  the  responds,  1  to  6,  Fig.  2,  and  of  the  fragment  of  the 
nave,  Fig.  1,  iV^  to  Q, 


Plate  III.  contains  a  plan  of  the  crypt  (Fig.  3)  and  a  plan  of  the 
chapel  (Fig.  4),  drawn  on  the  same  scale  and  placed,  the  one  ver- 
tically above  the  other,  so  as  to  admit  of  a  direct  comparison  of 
the  two. 

No  plan  of  the  crypt  has  hitherto  been  published,  and  the  present  one 
is  the  result  of  my  own  investigations  and  measurements.  The 
plans  of  the  chapel,  given  by  Nash  and  Wild  in  the  Vetusta 
Monumenta,  and  Britten's  Architectural  Antiquities,  are  excellent, 
as  far  as  they  go.  I  have,  however,  supplied  the  steps  to  the  great 
church  and  other  details. 

In  these  plans,  which  are  fully  explained  in  Chapters  V.  and  YI.,  the 
buttresses  of  the  chapel  are  denoted  by  Roman  numerals,  which 
also  serve  to  indicate  the  severies  externally  and  internally  as 
explained  for  Fig.  2  above. 

The  transverse  ribs  which  divide  the  severies  of  the  crypt  are  denoted 
by  Arabic  numerals. 

N.B.  The  doorway  M  of  the  crypt  is  reached  by  a  flight  of  steps 
descending  between  parallel  walls.  These  are  omitted  in  the  plan, 
but  described  at  pp.  61,  72. 

7 


90 


ARCHITECTURAL  HISTORY 


Plate  TV.  Fig.  5,  is  an  elevation  of  the  north  side  of  St  J oseph's  chapel 
in  outline,  omitting  the  arcades  of  the  Norman  wall  and  other 
decorations.  The  Arabic  numerals  shew  the  portions  of  the  divid- 
ing lines  of  the  crypt  severies,  and  coincide  with  the  same  nume- 
rals in  Fig.  3.  The  only  purpose  of  this  elevation  is  to  shew  the 
manner  in  which  the  windows  and  doorway  of  the  crypt  are  cut 
through  the  basement  mold  of  the  building,  and  intrude  into  the 
doorway  of  the  Galilee  porch  in  severy  6,  7  (pp.  69,  70).  It  also 
shews  the  additional  threshold  stones  of  the  Norman  doorway, 
inserted  when  the  pavement  of  the  chapel  was  raised  to  the  level 
of  the  old  bench  table  by  the  new  crypt  (p.  71). 


Plate  Y.  Fig.  6,  is  a  longitudinal  section  of  St  Joseph's  chapel,  for  the 
purpose  of  explaining  the  crypt  and  the  piers  of  the  arch 'of  com- 
munication between  the  Norman  chapel  and  the  Galilee  porch. 
The  former  is  the  subject  of  Chapter  VI.,  the  piers  and  arch  of 
communication  of  Chapter  Y.  p.  51,  and  following.  The  Arabic 
numerals  placed  below  the  base  line  of  the  drawing  are,  as  in  Figs. 
3  and  5,  employed  to  denote  the  severies. 

In  examining  the  section  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  vault  ribs 
have  all  fallen  with  the  exception  of  those  of  the  eastern  compart- 
ment, 6,  7.  The  diagonal  ribs  of  this  are  not  fully  drawn  in  the 
sketch,  because  the  shade  ruling,  which  denotes  the  age  of  the 
crypt,  rendered  it  difficult  to  introduce  many  architectural  lines. 

But  the  plan  of  this  severy  (Fig.  3)  combined  with  the  section  (Fig.  7) 
will  completely  explain  the  vault.  In  the  other  compartments  the 
responds  retain  only  the  springing  block,  with  here  and  there 
a  voussoir  or  two  still  adhering  to  the  upper  bed.  Each  arch- 
headed  compartment  between  the  responds  (as  at  iV)  is  simply  the 
end  wall  of  the  vaulted  severy.  The  spandrels  between  these 
arch-formed  lines  (as  P)  are  of  rough  rubble,  set  back  sufficiently 
from  the  face  of  iV  to  allow  the  vaults  to  rest  upon  the  arch  line 
(p.  63).  No  molded  w^l  ribs  are  employed  in  the  crypt,  as  the 
springing  block,  engraved  at  page  66,  shews. 

Plate  YI.  contains  two  transverse  sections — Fig.  7  of  the  eastern  crypt 
and  Fig.  8  of  the  western  crypt — fully  explained  in  Chapter  Yl. 
p.  62,  and  following  pages. 


OF  GLASTONBURY  ABBEY. 


91 


Plate  VII.  Fig.  9,  is  a  plan  of  the  north-east  turret  of  the  Norman 
chapel  which  illustrates  pages  51  to  54  above.  In  this  figure  it 
must  be  remarked  that  the  shade  ruling  is  employed  merely  to 
distinguish  the  external  ashlar  from  the  internal  ashlar,  and  not, 
as  in  the  other  figures,  with  any  reference  to  styles.  In  fact,  the 
ashlars  so  marked  are  parts  of  the  same  Norman  wall. 

Fig.  10,  a  plan  of  the  west  end  of  Durham  Cathedral  with  its  Galilee, 
belongs  to  the  comparison  of  it  with  the  Galilee  of  Glastonbury, 
given  in  Chapter  YII. 


CAMBRIDGE:  PRINTED  AT  THE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS. 


r-ORIGlNAL     EAST  WALL-=^ 


F  1  G  .  9 


JlWiMie,  del  - 


Cambhiuge. 


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Cambridge.    8vo.  6s. 

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Beethoven.    From  the  German.    Small  8vo.  6s. 

GOODWIN'S  (Dean)  Doctrines  and  Difficulties  of  the  Christian 

Religion  contemplated  from  the  Standmg-point  afforded  by  the  Catholic 
Doctrine  of  the  Being  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Being  the  Hulsean 
Lectures  for  the  year  1855.    By  H.  Goodwin,  D.D.   8vo.  9s. 

 '  The  Glory  of  the  Only  Begotten  of  the  Father 

seen  in  the  Manhood  of  Christ.'    Being  the  Hulsean  Lectures  for  the 

year  1856.    By  H.  Goodwin,  D.D.    8vo.    7s.  6(7. 
  Four  Sermons  preached  before  the  University  of 

Cambridge  in  the  Season  of  Advent,  1858.    By  H.  Goodwin,  D.D. 

12mo.    3s.  M. 

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before  the  University  of  Cambridge  in  the  month  of  February,  1855. 
By  H.  Goodwin,  D.D.    12mo.  4s. 

 Parish  Sermons.    By  H.  Goodwin,  D.D.  1st 

Series.    Third  Edition.    12mo.  6s. 

 -  2nd   Series.      Third  Edition. 

12mo.  6s. 

 3rd   Series.      Second  Edition. 

12mo.  7s. 

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4 


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GOODWIN'S  (Dean)  Short  Sermons  at  the  Celebration  of  the 

Lord's  Supper.    By  H.  Goodwin,  D.D.    Neiv  Edition.    12mo.  4s. 

  Lectures  upon  the  Church  Catechism.    By  H. 

Good-win,  D.D.    12mo.  4s. 

  A  Guide  to  the  Parish  Church.    By  Harvey 

Goodwin,  D.D.    'Pxicels.  sewed;  Is.  6d.  cloth. 

  Confirmation  Day.    Being  a  Boot  of  Instruction 

for  Young  Persons  how  they  ought  to  spend  that  solemn  day,  on  which 
they  renew  the  Vows  of  their  Baptism,  and  are  confirmed  by  the  Bishop 
with  prayer  and  the  laying  on  of  hands.  By  H.  Goodwin,  D.D. 
Eighth  Thousand.    2d.,  or  25  for  3s.  M. 

  Plain  Thoughts  concerning  the  meaning  of  Holy 

Baptism.    By  H.  Goodwin,  D.D.  Second  Edition.  2d.,  or  25  for  3s.  M. 

  The  Worthy   Communicant ;    or,  '  Who  may 

come  to  the  Supper  of  the  Lord?'  By  H.  Goodwin,  D.D.  Second 
Edition.    2d.y  or  25  for  3s.  6d. 

 The  Doom  of  Sin,  and  the  Inspiration  of  the 

Bible.  Two  Sermons  preached  in  Ely  Cathedral :  with  some  Prefatory 
Remarks  upon  tl  e  Oxford  Declaration.  By  H.\.rvey  Goodwin,  D.D. 
Foap.  8vo.    Is.  6d. 

  Hands,  Head,  and  Heart ;  or  the  Christian  Re- 
ligion regarded  Practically,  Intellectually,  and  Devotionally.  In  Three 
Sermons  preached  before  the  University  of  Cambridge.  By  Harvey 
Goodwin,  D.D..    Fcap.  8vo.    2s.  6d. 

 The  Appearing  of  Jesus  Christ.    A  short  Treatise 

by  Symon  Patrick,  D.D.,  formerly  Lord  Bishop  of  Ely,  now  published 
for  the  first  time  from  the  Original  MS.  Edited  by  the  Dean  of  Ely. 
18mo.  3s. 

  Commentaries  on  the  Gospels,  intended  for  the 

English  Reader,  and  adapted  either  for  Domestic  or  Private  Use.  By 
Harvey  Goodwin,  D.D.    Crown  Svo. 
S.  MATTHEW,  12s.       S.  MARK,  7s.  6c?.       S.  LUKE,  9s. 

  On  the  Imitation  of  Christ.    A  New  Translation. 

By  the  Dean  of  Ely.    Second  Edition.    ISmo.    3s.  Qd. 
Fcap.  Svo.   An  Edition  printed  on  large  paper,  5s. 

GROTE's  (Rev.  J.)  Exploratio  Philosophica.     Rough  Notes 

on  Modern  Intellectual  Science.  Part  I.  By  J.  Grote,  B.D.,  Professor 
of  Moral  Philosophy.    Svo.  9s. 

HARDWICK's  (Archdeacon)  History  of  the  Articles  of  Re- 
ligion. To  which  is  added  a  series  of  Documents  from  a.d.  1536  to 
A.D.  1615.  Together  with  illustrations  from  contemporary  sources. 
By  Charles  Hardwick,  B.  D.  ,  late  Archdeacon  of  Ely.  Second  Edition, 
corrected  and  enlarged.    Svo.  12s. 

HUMPHRY'S   (Rev.  W.  G.)   Historical  and  Explanatory 

Treatise  on  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  By  W.  G.  Humphry,  B.D., 
late  Fellow  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge.  Third  Edition,  revised  and 
enlarged.    Small  post  Svo.    4s.  6d, 

KENT'S  Commentary  on  International  Law.  Revised,  with 
notes  and  Cases  brought  dovra  to  the  present  year.  Edited  by  J.  T. 
Abdy,  LL.  D.,  Regius  Professor  of  Laws  in  the  University  of  Cambridge, 

[In  the  Press. 


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LAMB  (Rev.  John).    The  Seven  Words  Spoken  Against  the 

Lord  Jesus  :  or,  an  Investigation  of  the  Motives  -which  led  His  Con- 
temporaries to  reject  Him.   Being  the  Hulsean  Lectures  for  the  year 
1860.    By  John  Lamb,  M.A.,  Senior  Fellow  of  Gonville  and  Caius  • 
College,  and  Minister  of  S.  Edward's,  Cambridge.    8vo.    5s.  6d. 

LEAPINGWELL's  (De.  G.)  Manual  of  the  Roman  Civil  Law, 

arranged  according  to  the  Syllabus  of  Dr.  Hallifax.  By  G.  Leaping- 
WELL,  LL.D.  Designed  for  the  use  of  Students  in  the  Universities  and 
Inns  of  Court.    8vo.  12s. 

LIVINGSTONE'S  (De.)  Cambridge  Lectures.    With  a  Pre- 

fatory  Letter  by  the  Rev.  Professor  Sedgwick,  M.A.,  F.R.S.,  &e., 
Vice-Master  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge.  Edited,  with  Introduction, 
Life  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  Notes  and  Appendix,  by  the  Rev.  W.  Monk, 
M. A. ,  F.R.  A.S. ,  &c.,  of  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge.  With  a  Portrait 
and  Map,  also  a  larger  Map,  by  Arrowsmith,  granted  especially  for 
this  work  by  the  President  and  Council  of  the  Royal  Geographical 
Society  of  London.   Crown  Svo.   6s.  6d. 

MACKENZIE  (Bishop),  Memoir  of  the  late.    By  the  Dean 

OF  Ely.    With  portrait.  Maps,  and  Illustrations.    Dedicated  by  per- 
mission to  the  Lord  Bishop  of  Oxford.    Small  Svo.    10s.  6d. 

MAIN'S  (Rev.  R.)  Twelve  Sermons  preached  on  Various 

Occasions  at  the  Church  of  St.  Mary,  Greenwich.    By  R.  Main,  M.A., 
Radcliffe  Observer  at  Oxford.    12mo.  5s. 

MASKEW's  (Rev.  T.  R.)  Annotations  on  the  Acts  of  the 

Apostles,  Original  and  selected.  Designed  principally  for  the  use  of 
Candidates  for  the  Ordinary  B.A.  Degree,  Students  for  Holy  Orders, 
&c.,  with  College  and  Senate-House  Examination  Papers.  By  the 
Rev.  T.  R.  Maskew,  M.A.    Second  Edition,  enlarged.    12mo.  5s. 

■  MILL'S  (Rev.  De.)  Observations  on  the  attempted  Application 

of  Pantheistic  Principles  to  the  Theory  and  Historic  Criticism  of  the 
Gospels.  Bv  W.  H.  Mill,  D.D.,  late  Regius  Professor  of  Hebrew  in 
the  University  of  Cambridge.  Second  Edition,  with  the  Author's  latest 
notes  and  additions.  Edited  by  his  Son-in-Law,  the  Rev.  B.  Webb, 
M.A.    8vo.  14s. 

  Lectures  on  the  Catechism.    Delivered  in  the  Parish 

Church  of  Brasted,  in  the  Diocese  of  Canterbury.     By  W.  H.  Mill, 
D.D.   Edited  by  the  Rev.  B.  Webb,  M.A.   Fcap.  Svo.  Gs.Qd. 

  Sermons  preached  in  Lent  1845,  and  on  several  former 

occasions,  before  the  University  of  Cambridge.    By  W.  H.  Mill,  D.D. 
Svo.  12s. 

  Four  Sermons  preached  before  the  University  on  the 

Fifth  of  November  and  the  three  Sundays  preceding  Advent,  in  the 
year  1S48.   By  W,  H.  Mill,  D.D.   Svo.   5s.  6d. 

  An  Analysis  of  the  Exposition  of  the  Creed,  written 

by  the  Right  Reverend  Father  in  God,  J.  PEARSON,  D.D.,  late  Lord 
Bishop  of  Chester  Compiled,  with  some  additional  matter  occasionally 
interspersed,  for  the  use  of  Students  of  Bishop's  College,  Calcutta. 
By  W.  H.  Mill,  D.D.    Third  Edition,  revised  and  corrected.  Svo.  5s. 

NEALE's  (Rev.  J.  M.)  Seatonian  Poems.    By  the  Rev.  J.  M. 

Neale,  M.A.,  late  Scholar  of  Trinity  College.   Fcap.  Svo.  6s. 


6 


LIST  OF  WORKS  PUBLISHED  BY 


NEWTON  (SiE  Isaac)  and  Professor  Cotes,  Correspondence 

of,  including  Letters  of  other  Eminent  Men,  now  first  published  from 
the  originals  in  the  Library  of  Trinitj'  College,  Cambridge;  together 
with  an  Appendix  containing  other  unpublished  Letters  and  Papers  by 
Newton;  with  Notes,  Synoptical  View  of  the  Philosopher's  Life,  and 
a  variety  of  details  illustrative  of  his  history.  Edited  by  the  Rev.  J. 
Edleston,  M.A.,  Fellow  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge.    8vo.  10«. 

PEARSON'S  (Rev.  J.  B.)    The  Divine  Personality,  being  a 

Consideration  of  the  Arguments  to  prove  that  the  Author  of  Nature  is 
a  Being  endued  with  liberty  and  choice.  The  Burney  Prize  Essay  for 
1864.  By  J.  B.  Pearson,  B.A.,  Scholar  of  St.  John's  College,  and 
Curate  of  St.  Michael's  Church,  Cambridge.  [In  the  Press. 

PIEROTTI's  (Eemete)  Jerusalem  Explored :  being  a  Descrip- 
tion of  the  Ancient  and  Modern  City,  with  upwards  of  One  Hundred 
Illustrations,  consisting  of  Views,  Ground-plans,  and  Sections.  By 
Ermete  Pierotti,  Doctor  of  Mathematics,  Captain  of  the  Corps  of 
Engineers  in  the  army  of  Sardinia,  Architect-Engineer  to  his  Excellency 
Sooraya  Pasha  of  Jerusalem,  and  Architect  of  the  Holy  Land.  2  vols, 
imperial  4to.   51.  5s. 

  The  Customs  and  Traditions  of  Palestine  Com- 
pared with  the  Bible,  from  Observations  made  during  a  Residence  of 
Eight  Years.  By  Dr.  Ermete  Pierotti,  Author  of  "Jerusalem 
Explored."   Svo.  9s. 

PHILLIPS'  (Rev.  Geo.)  Short  Sermons  on  Old  Testament 

Messianic  Texts,  preached  in  the  Chapel  of  Queens'  College,  Cambridge. 
By  the  Rev.  Geo.  Phillips,  D.D.,  President  of  the  College.   Svo.  5s. 

PSALTER  (The)  or  Psalms  of  David  in  English  Verse.  With 
Preface  and  Notes.  By  a  Member  of  the  University  of  Cambridge. 
Dedicated  by  permission  to  the  Lord  Bishop  of  Ely,  and  the  Reverend 
the  Professors  of  Divinity  in  that  University.  5s. 

ROMILLY's  (Rev.  J.)  Graduati  Cantabrigienses :  sive  Cata- 
logus  exhibens  nomina  eorum  quos  ab  anno  academico  admissionum 
1760  usque  ad  decimum  diem  Octr.  1856.  Gradu  quocunque  omavit 
Academia  Cantabrigienses,  e  libris  subscriptionum  desumptus.  Cura 
J.  RoMiLLY,  A.M.,  Coll.  SS.  Trin.  Socii  atque  Academica  Registrarii. 
8vo.  10s. 

SCHOLEFIELD's   (Peof.)  Hints  for   some  Improvements 

in  the  Authorised  Version  of  the  New  Testament.  By  the  late  J. 
ScHOLEFiELD,  M.A.    FourtJi  Edition.    Fcap.  Svo.  4s. 

SCRIVENER'S  (F.  H.)  Plain  Introduction  to  the  Criticism  of 

of  the  New  Testament.  With  40  Facsimiles  from  Ancient  Manuscripts. 
For  the  Use  of  Biblical  Students.  By  F.  H.  Scrivener,  M.A.,  Trinity 
College,  Cambridge.    Svo.  15s. 

  Codex   Bezse  Cantabrigiensis.     Edited,  with 

Prolegomena,  Notes,  and  Facsimiles.  By  F.  H.  Scrivener,  M.A.  4to. 
26s. 

  An  Exact  Transcript  of  the  Codex  Augiensis, 

Grseco-Latina  Manuscript  in  Uncial  Letters  of  S.  Paul's  Epistles,  pre- 
served in  the  Library  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge.  To  which  is 
added  a  Full  Collation  of  Fifty  Manuscripts  containing  various  portions 
of  the  Greek  New  Testament  deposited  in  English  Libraries  :  with 
a  full  Critical  Introduction.  By  F.  H.  Scrivener,  M.A.  Royal  Svo. 
26s. 

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7 


SCRIVENER'S  (F.  H.)  A  Full  Collation  of  the  Codex  Sinai- 

ticus  with  the  Received  Text  of  the  New  Testament;  to  which  is 
prefixed  a  Critical  Introduction.  By  F.  H.  Scrivener.  M  A  Ecan 
8vo.    55,  »     •   •  f 

"  Mr.  Scrivener  has  now  placed  the  results  of  Tischendorf's  discovery 
within  the  reach  of  all  in  a  charming  little  volume,  which  ouo-ht  to 
form  a  companion  to  the  Greek  Testament  in  the  Library  of  every 
Biblical  student."— i^eacZer. 

  Novum  Testamentum  Grfficum,  Textus  Stepha- 

nici,  1550.  Accedunt  variae  lectiones  editionem  Bezge,  Elzeviri,  Lach- 
manni,  Tischendorfii,  et  Tregellesii.  Curante  F.  H,  Scrivener,  M  A 
16mo.   4s.  6d. 

An  Edition  on  Writing-paper  for  Notes.    4to.    half-hound.  12s. 

SELWYN's  (Peofessoe)  Excerpta  ex  reliquiis  Versionum, 

Aquilse,  Symmachi,  Theodotionis,  a  Montefalcoiiio  aliisque  collecta. 
Genesis.    Edidit  Gul.  Selwyn,  S.T.B.   8vo.  Is. 

  Notse  Criticse  in  Versionem  Septuagintaviralera. 

Exodus,  Cap.  I.— XXIV.    Curante  GtjL.  Selavyj,-,  S.T.B.   8vo.   3s.  6d. 

 Notse  Critic8B  in  Versionem  Septuagintaviralem. 

Liber  NuMERORUM.    Cm-ante  Gul.  Selwyn,  S.T.B..    Svo.  is.Gd. 

  Notse  Ci-iticse  in  Versionem  Septuagintaviralem. 

Liber  Deuteronomti.    Cm-ante  Gul.  Selwyn,  S.T.B.    Svo.   4s.  6d. 

 Origenis  Contra  Celsum.     Liber  I.  Curante 

Gul.  Selwyn,  S.T.B.   Svo.    3s.  6d. 

 Testimonia  Patrum  in  Veteres  Interpretes,  Sept- 

uaginta,  Aquilam,  Symmachum,  Theodotionem,  a  Jlontefalconio  aliis- 
que coUecta  paucis  Additis.    Edidit  Gul.  Selwyn,  S.T.B.    Svo.  6d. 

 Horte  Hebraicse.  Critical  and  Expository  Ob- 
servations on  the  Prophecy  of  Messiah  in  Isaiah,  Chapter  IX.,  and  on 
other  Passages  of  Holy  Scripture.  By  W.  Selwyn,  D.D.,  Lady  Mar- 
garet's Reader  in  Theology.    Hevised  Edilion,  tcith  Co7ttinuatiun.  8s. 

SINKER'S  (Rev.  R.)  The  Characteristic  Differences  between 

the  Books  of  the  New  Testament  and  the  immediately  preceding  Jewish, 
and  the  immediately  succeeding  Christian  Literature,  considered  as  an 
evidence  of  the  Divine  Authority  of  the  New  Testament.  Being  the 
Hulsean  Prize  Essay  for  1864.  By  the  Rev.  R.  Sinker,  Trinity  College. 
Small  Svo.    3s.  6d. 

STUDENT'S  GUIDE  (The)  to  the  University  of  Cambridge. 

Fcap.  Svo.    5s.  6d. 

Contents  :  Introduction,  by  J.  R.  Seeley,  M.A.— On  University  Ex- 
penses, by  the  Rev.  H.  La-j  ham,  M.A. — On  the  Choice  of  a  College, 
by  J.  R.  Seeley,  M.A. —On  the  Course  of  Reading  for  the  Classical 
Tripos,  by  the  Rev.  R.  Burn,  M.A. — On  the  Course  of  Reading  for 
the  Mathematical  Tripos,  by  the  Rev.  W.  M.  Campion,  B.D.— On 
the  Course  of  Reading  for  the  Moral  Sciences  Tripos,  by  the  Rev. 
J.  B.  Mayor,  M.A. — On  the  Course  of  Reading  for  the  Natural 
Sciences  Tripos,  by  Professor  Liveing,  M.A. — On  Law  Studies  and 
Law  Degrees,  by  "Professor  J.  T.  Abdy,  LL.D.— Medical  Study  and 
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Civil  Service  of  India,  by  the  Rev.  H.  Latham,  M.A. — Local 
Examinations  of  the  University',  by  H.  J.  Roby,  M.A. — Diplomatic 
Service.— Detailed  Account  of  the  several  Colleges. 


8   WORKS  PUBLISHED  BY  DEIGHTON,  BELL,  AND  CO. 


TODD'S  (Eev.  J.  F.)  The  Apostle  Paul  and  the  Christian 

Church  of  Philippi.  An  Exposition  Critical  and  Practical  of  the  Six- 
teenth Chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  and  of  the  Epistles  to  the 
Philippians.  By  the  late  Rev.  J.  F.  Todd,  M.A.,  Trinity  College, 
Camhridge.    8vo.  9s. 

TUETON's  (Bishop)  The  Holy  Catholic  Doctrine  of  the 

Eucharist,  considered  in  reply  to  Dr.  Wiseman's  Argument  from  Scrip- 
ture.   By  T.  TuRTON,  D.D.,  late  Bishop  of  Ely.   8vo.    8s.  6d. 

VERSES  and  Translations.     By  C.  S.  C.     Third  Edition. 

Fcap.  8vo.  5s. 

WIESELER's  Chronological  Synopsis  of  the  Four  Gospels. 
Translated  by  the  Rev.  E.  Venables,  M.A.    8vo.  13s. 

WEST'S  (C.  A.)  Parish  Sermons,  according  to  the  order  of 
the  Christian  Year.  By  the  late  C.  A.  West,  B.A.  Edited  by  J.  R. 
West,  M.A.    12mo.  6s. 

WHEWELL's  (Rev.  Dr.)  Elements  of  Morality,  including 

Polity.  By  the  Rev.  W.  Whetvell,  D.D.,  Master  of  Trinity  College, 
Cambridge.    Fourth  Edition,  in  1  a^oI.  8vo.  15s. 

  Lectures  on  the  History  of  Moral  Philosophy 

in  England.  By  the  Rev.  W.  Whewell,  D.D.  Neio  and  Improved 
Edition,  with  additional  Lectures.    Crown  8vo.  8s. 

The  Additional  Lectures  are  printed  separately  in  Octavo  for  the  con- 
venience of  those  who  have  purchased  the  former  Edition,    3s.  Qd. 

  Astronomy  and   General  Physics  considered 

with  reference  to  Natural  Theology  (Bridgewater  Treatise).  By  W. 
Whewell,  D.D.  Neio  Edition,  sniaW  i>\o.  (Uniform  with  the  Aldlne.) 
5s. 

  Sermons  preached  in  the  Chapel  of  Trinity 

College,  Cambridge.    By  W.  Whewell,  D.D.    8vo.    10s.  M. 

  Butler's  Three  Sermons  on  Human  Nature, 

and  Dissertation  on  Virtue.  Edited  by  W.  Whewell,  D.D.  With 
a  Preface  and  a  Syllabus  of  the  Work.  Fourth  and  Cheaper  Edition. 
Fcap.  8vo.    2s.  M. 

TERTULLIANI  Liber  .Apologeticus.    The  Apology  of  Ter- 

tullian.  With  English  Notes  and  a  Preface,  intended  as  an  Intro- 
duction to  the  Study  of  Patristieal  and  Ecclesiastical  Latinity.  By 
H.  A.  WooDHAM,  LL.D.    Second  Edition.    8vo.    8s.  Qd. 

WILLIAMS'  (Rowland)  Rational  Godliness.    After  the  Mind 

of  Christ  and  the  Written  Voices  of  the  Cnurch.  By  Rowland 
Williams,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Hebrew  at  Lampeter.  Crn.  8vo.    10s.  &d. 

  Parameswara-jnyana-goshthi.     A   Dialogue  of 

the  Knowledge  of  the  Supreme  Lord,  in  which  are  compared  the  claims 
of  Christianity  and  Hinduism,  and  various  questions  of  Indian  Religion 
and  Literature  fairly  discussed.  By  Rowland  Williams,  D.D.  8vo.  12s. 

WOLFE'S  (Rev.  A.)  Family  Prayers  and  Scripture  Calendar. 
By  the  Rev.  A.  Wolfe,  M.A.,  late  Fellow  and  Tutor  of  Clare  College, 
Cambridge,  Rector  of  Fornham  All  Saints,  Bury  St.  Edmund's.  Fcp.  2s. 

WRATISLAW's  (A.  H.)  Notes  and  Dissertations,  principally 
on  Difficulties  in  the  Scriptures  of  the  New  Covenant.  By  A.  H. 
Wrattslaw,  M.A.,  Head  Master  of  Bury  St.  Edmund's  School,  formerly 
Fellow  of  Christ's  College,  Cambridge.    8vo.  Is.M. 


CAMBRIDGE. — PRINTED  BY  JONATHAN  PALMER. 


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